Final Fantasy III: Age Before The Eternal Wind
by Draconai
Summary: As yet again the world is put in danger by an opposing force, the Crystals choose four youths to take up arms and defeat it. However, little do these Warriors know that the coming flood, a threat to the very world they live in, isn't the only one against their motives... Collaborative work with Arukuu-Chan!
1. Call of the Eternal Wind

Draco: What's up, Febass! It's Draco!

Arca: Don't forget me! The possibly (in)famous Arcality!

Draco: And we are asking for so much trouble right now. This little collab is based on Final Fantasy III, but we've decided to do things... a little differently.

Arca: Differently? You may be pondering. We can't tell you here in the authors' note! Read on to discover just what we've plotted-I mean, planned, for you! Happy reading!~

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

"Where did that hole come from...?"

A girl with jet-black hair raised her gaze to the gap in the rocky surface above her. Her garments - jacket and leggings of well-worn, faded leather - were slightly damaged from the fall, and there was a small gash in her left palm where she had tried to grab the edges of the pit. Hooked on her belt was a small survival knife - which was probably cause for the cut at her hip.

With a shake of her head, she looked into the dark around her, ignoring the circumstances of her predicament. "Focus, Kyra," she told herself as she pushed herself off the ground with a grunt. She held her head high after a quick dust off, knowing fully well what she had to do next. "Gotta find that thief."

She glanced around carefully, straining to see in the darkness. This lower cavern had less access to the natural light that provided visibility in the upper section she had been running through; letting her silver eyes adjust, she slowly stepped further into the cave. The narrow tunnel she had fallen into opened up into a slightly wider section; with only one other entry from it, it appeared to simply be a functional corner of the cavern.

Indeed, Kyra was just about to turn that corner when a blur of movement caught the corner of her eye. Thoughts began to form in her head. She hoped it wasn't was she thought it was... but Kyra had a nervous feeling it was what she believed it to be.

She spun towards the blur, but too late - a sharpened edge thrust into her shoulder, and she gave a scream of pain as she stumbled back. Now she saw it clearly; a humanoid figure with green flesh, a trigram of horns upon its head. Its body was covered in beaten cloth, and in one hand was a knife. With all the might the creature could muster, it directed its high pitched cry at Kyra, most likely taking pride in its own stealthy attack. The creature screeched even higher at its foe, ready to battle, or more so, finish her off.

Goblins, such vile and troublesome creatures found in little hideaways such as this cavern, were often not difficult to deal with on their own. The odd goblin infestation in Ur caused a ruckus in daily life and a large group of villagers could easily scare a large group away from the village with their advanced weaponry. However, there was only one villager here, and there was only one goblin, and neither seemed to intimidate the other.

Kyra's hand flew for her own knife; as the creature rushed to her, focused on where to hit her. However, she forced her body to the side, causing the offending blade to strike the rock floor of the cave. She lashed her blade into her opponent's side, causing it to cry out - a twisted, garbled sound like shredding trees - and as she watched, it slowly faded out of existence.

The sudden burst of adrenaline faded, and Kyra fell to her knees, her knife falling from her hand as she gripped the cut in her shoulder. The girl's ill feelings of her surroundings were proven to be correct.

This was no place for a girl, nor a thief, to be.

"What was that...?" she gasped, horrified. "A... monster?" She looked up, glancing around. "What have I gotten myself into now...?"

Gritting her teeth against one another, she propelled herself to her feet, picking up her knife on her way up. "Come on, Kyra," she snapped at herself. It was the only way she could keep herself focused, the only way she would make her way out of this cavern alive. "Find the thief, and get back to Ur. Ignore the monsters." Kyra threw out orders to herself.

She turned around, ready to carry out her own orders, only to find herself face-to-face with another pair of goblins.

"Okay, maybe that's not going to work..."

* * *

It took Kyra a while to deal with what ended up being a set of six goblins. As many would think, six versus one never had its even chances. None of them took more than a single stab or slash to deal with, but they had landed a few blows in return; there was a nasty gash in her leg, and both arms now had nasty stab wounds. She stumbled further into the cave, every step sending a lot of pain through her body. No wonder children were kept further away into the village when goblins just happened to make their way into Ur. When they found a target, they really gave it all they had in them.

After a while, the tunnel widened out into a larger room. Someone had thought to hang a torch on the wall, which was burning brightly; how thoughtful of them to do so in a rather dangerous cavern. A pair of treasure chests were sitting at the far corners of the room, and Kyra managed to pull herself forward to them. One of them held a shield of hardened leather; though it didn't help the blows she already had, she was glad to take it and hook it onto her arm. The other held a corked glass bottle, filled with green fluid. She couldn't help but feel ill at the sight of it. It reminded her of the kind of liquids she had to take when she was sick, really sick. An idea was soon planted in her head, and it began to grow...

_Should I?_ Kyra pondered. _Or should I not?_ She looked carefully at the liquid inside; it looked like the potions for sale in Ur's shops, the kind she took if she was quite ill, but the torchlight made it hard to tell. A thoughtless shift of her weight sent pain shooting up her wounded leg, and she tumbled to the side, landing painfully on the cave floor. Kyra had a choice; she either had to risk it for the sake of her health, or grow progressively worse due to her wounds. "Screw it," she muttered, pulling the cork with her teeth and draining it in one go.

The pain in her leg was quickly forgotten - when she shot to her feet for the express purpose of throwing up into the chest.

"Spoilt," she forced out when the ordeal was done, slamming the chest to trap the smell. In a sense, things could have been a lot worse. The situation being a lot worse was her lying on the floor, possibly dead from whatever else that liquid could have been. Throwing up her full stomach content seemed a better route to stumble on than the staircase to heaven. Carefully, she got to her feet and started further into the cave - and was irritated to find herself at a dead-end.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered, forcing herself further towards the dead end as she searched for anything - a crack in the wall, a suspicious draft, anything that said she wasn't trapped here. No such luck. Nothing at all. Today wasn't continuing on all that well, was it? With a sigh, she glanced at the bottle she still had in her hands with frustration and tossed it forward with a low growl, leaning against the wall after the deed was done.

It collided with a boulder - and the wall she was leaning on fell away, revealing a passage further in.

Glancing up at a wall that had suddenly disappeared, she raised an eyebrow at the craftiness of it... and the oddity of it also. "Okay then," she murmured, getting to her feet. "That worked." She couldn't help but sound rather pleased with herself, and made her way forward on the new path laid out for her.

She found another chest sitting nearby; stumbling towards it she found herself holding what appeared to be a simple double-edged longsword, complete with a sheath for mounting on one's back. Maybe her luck was turning after all!

"Yes...!" Kyra laughed in victory, and couldn't help but kissing the hilt of the sword, celebrating her victory rather loudly.

Turning around after her victory, only then did she see another trio of goblins taking notice of her. With their own screeches, excited for battle, they lunged themselves at her.

"No, no, no!"

* * *

Kyra stumbled up the earthen slope, her body and garments now littered with cuts, with a nasty gash on her forehead from where one of the goblins had forced her into a particularly uneven wall. She lumbered her sore body on as the cavern levelled out, and she found herself at a three-way fork in the cave; she glanced around her for a brief moment before trudging straight forward, desperate to get out of here before the cavern's creatures got to her. More fighting was the last thing she needed right now. The straight path took her to another fork; the shining glow from the right path convinced her that that was her way out, and she forced her body to move, praying she wouldn't run into any more goblins.

She didn't.

What she found instead were a trio of rocks, each with a single monochrome eye glaring at her. Above them were two glowing blue orbs, each surrounded by a powdery white smoke.

The moral of this for Kyra was to be careful what she wished for from now on.

An expression most pitiful rose on Kyra's face as she reached for her sword, drawing it and holding her shield before her. A few battles had helped her learn how to defend properly. Hopefully, that learning would now show through her next battle practise. The blue wisps shot towards her, but she quickly lashed her sword through one, ducked under the other, and rushed at the eyed stones. Thinking quickly, she drove her blade into each of their eyes, causing the rocks to tremble violently on her blade as they faded; then she turned around, expecting the wisp she hadn't struck.

She didn't expect that the one she had hit would still be there.

"Come on..." she groaned, gripping her sword tightly as she prepared to hold her own.

The two wisps rushed to her attack her yet again. She lashed at one, which appeared to be her initial target, causing it to fade before it could strike her. She swung at the other, but couldn't get a second hit in before it slammed into her stomach, knocking her back and causing her to hit the stone again. The wisp hovered over her menacingly, and with what energy she had, she stabbed at it with her blade, causing it to fade away.

She didn't have the strength to get back to her feet; slowly, she rolled onto her stomach, grabbing the stones around her and pulling herself forward. The pain shot through Kyra's back after the collision with the stone. The rocky ground grazed through her clothes and into her stomach, but she continued to move forward, going towards the light that should have signalled the exit to the cave.

What she found instead was water - water lit by a light all its own, as though the sun had been mixed into it.

Kyra pulled herself to the water's edge, looking at her twisted reflection in the water. "A spring?" she murmured. "That colour..." The pain in her body made it hard for her to think, but she felt like she had seen something like this before. It was hard to picture anything at the moment. Every time she looked for something that would help heal her wounds, her memories seemed to lead her back to home, to Ur. As much as Kyra's mind was clouded, she tried her hardest to think, even closing her eyes at one point to get an image or a memory to come back to her...

A drop of blood dripped from her forehead, striking her chest.

Then she decided it didn't matter, sinking her hand into the water and cupping it to bring the liquid to her lips. The moment her fingers were empty, she sank them into the water again, taking another drink; and then another; and then another. Her hands went from the water to her mouth quicker and quicker each time she went for it.

A few minutes passed before she had finished, and raised her head from the water and took a deep breath. The pain that had filled her body since she had fallen into this cave was nonexistent; the cuts and gashes had closed without a trace. Revitalized, Kyra got to her feet, glancing down at the spring.

"A wellspring," she remembered, her mind clear without pain to cloud it. There were springs like this at Ur; how had she forgotten about those? Maybe the pain was that bad. After all, it's all you think of when you get it. The trouble was, Kyra still couldn't understand why she had forgotten about the springs, nor why she couldn't remember the pain she suffered only a moment before.

Glancing around, she caught sight of a small chest nearby reaching in, she found a peculiar blue sphere emblazoned with an icy sigil.

A curious hum passed through her lips; nonetheless, she slipped the orb into her pocket before returning down the cave she had found, picking up her longsword on the way.

* * *

Having gone back to revisit the other paths from the ascent, Kyra had been pleased to find two more of the blue orbs; taking the path opposite the wellspring led her to a set of stairs. This eventually took her outdoors - which meant she wouldn't be pounced on from the shadows. Kyra was relieved to be outside once again, albeit in the twilight; the sun had begun to set while she was inside.

She was surprised to see a man in a long, black jacket reclining against the nearby stones. In his hand was a familiar accessory; a necklace of white gold, adorned with four jewels - emerald, ruby, sapphire, topaz - and clasped with gold. He seemed to chuckle away with himself, taking pride in the item he had acquired. Upon recognizing the man and the prize he held so dearly in his hand, Kyra drew her sword, yelling out, "There you are!"

The man in the jacket turned towards the call - and a look of shock appeared on his face when he saw Kyra. "You!" he shouted. "I thought I'd lost you!"

"Well ya _didn't_," Kyra corrected, her hands gripping on the sword as fury began to bubble away inside of her. "Now, give back my necklace, and I won't have to report you to-."

"Like hell," the man spat, his tone of voice rough, and cold. "After the trouble I went through to take it? I'm not just givin' this back!"

"I don't want to hurt you," Kyra insisted, despite her grip on the hilt getting tighter and tighter as irritation, too, started to rise to the surface.

The man spun the necklace around his finger, grinning just slightly. "Well, then isn't this just my lucky day?"

He turned and took off running, towards a large structure... was that a temple? Kyra started running after him, keeping her blade to one side - the longsword had a lot more potential for her to cut herself than her knife did. Unfortunately, she was not exactly accustomed to running without full movement of her arms, and the thief quickly disappeared into the temple ahead of her.

When she caught up, she was surprised by what was waiting for her.

Sitting within the temple, at an altar of shining stones, was a single massive crystal - a particularly blue hue of spring green. The altar was not very well lit, even considering the time of day; the thief with her necklace was standing in front of the crystal, as though realizing he had made a wrong turn. The design of the temple meant he had nowhere to run, and with a grimace, he turned to face Kyra.

"Listen," Kyra began, slowly stepping a foot out towards him. "I don't-"

"No, you listen!" the thief snapped back, backing away, scowling at her. "I don't know who the hell your parents are, but they oughta teach you right. I take something, it's mine. I'm not just gonna hand it back over." He sneered, and watched with amusement as Kyra's expression became a nasty glare.

The robber grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, is that a sore spot for you? Sorry, lassie, but I'm not-"

A series of canine howls cut him off - both the snatcher and Kyra looked around for the source of the sound. Kyra saw it first - a trio of hounds charging forward from behind the crystal.

No... a trio of heads on the _same_ hound.

Without thinking, Kyra screamed, "Look out!"

The man spun around as the beast rounded the crystal. Its fur was a nasty dark blue, and its faces were not normal canine faces - a twisted combination of wolves and the goblins from the cave. Its eyes were blood red as they fully focused on the man below. As the heads either side flung around, their nightmarish eyes darting from corner to corner of the room, the center head took an interest to the thief below. As sharp, clean fangs were bared, a horrified scream sounded from the robber as the center head lunged forward, its fangs digging into his stomach. Kyra's necklace was sent flying from the man's hand as the head reared back, throwing him into the air half-severed, and the other two heads began to lash at him when they were finished looking around their surroundings, trying to get some of the thief for themselves in their stomach.

Kyra grabbed the necklace and hastily backed away, horrified by the sight of the man being torn apart by something of mere legend, from a scary story from younger years! _What is that thing!? Is that the cause of the monsters from the cave?_ Kyra asked herself in horror, looking on at the violence still taking place among the heads as the limbs were ripped apart and off the man. She shook her head. _I've got to get out of here…_

_Help... me..._

The voice came from nowhere - it didn't even touch her ears as much as it touched her mind. "What...?" She glanced around. "What was...?"

_Please... save me..._

_Defeat... Cerberus..._

Kyra had no time to react; the tri-headed hound had devoured the robber, and now had its gaze locked on her. Its fangs were bared once again, no longer showing clean, crystal-white fangs, but dark red stained fangs, blood drooling down the sides of each of the heads' mouths. "This thing?" she shouted at the temple around her, her tone full of disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

The monster - Cerberus - howled viciously, bringing her attention back to it, to what was the monster's desire for more bloodlust.

A heavy gulp came from Kyra as she raised her sword and shield.

"Alright. If I can... I'll save you!"

The monster leapt forward as one, and Kyra quickly leapt to the side, causing it to skid against the temple floor. Moving quickly, she lashed at its hind legs, causing the beast to howl and whirl around; the monster's fangs skidded across her blade, shearing off one of the blade's edges. Kyra glanced at the blade before raising her gaze to the beast, which howled again; thinking quickly, she hurled her shield at it, causing the three heads to start biting at it, before lashing her sword across its forelegs.

This time the beast acted faster; one of the heads lashed down and bit at her longsword, shattering the steel.

Kyra glanced at her bladeless hilt before raising her gaze to the beast's three heads. Horrified, she released her weapon and stepped back, reaching into her pockets; and one hand found the three orbs she had picked up from the cave.

_It's not like I have any other choice._

"You want to eat?" she taunted at Cerberus, drawing out the icy blue spheres - it was only just possible for her to hold them all in one hand. "Eat these!"

She hurled the three orbs at Cerberus, and the three heads quickly lunged forward, their maws each closing on one orb.

And the orbs each erupted in a spray of icy energy, causing Kyra to scream and take cover. All that was heard throughout was loud, high howls and whimpers of pain. When the chill mist faded, the beast was dead on the floor of the temple, slowly fading away.

Kyra panted, horrified. Slowly, she glanced around. "Where are you?" she called. "Who are you? And what... what _was_ that?"

The sun was setting outside - and yet, without warning, the temple began to brighten.

_You have been chosen..._

Kyra yelped, spinning around; but her movements came to a stop. The massive crystal was shining from within, illuminating the altar - and it was slowly turning. "Is this... Is the crystal... _talking_ to me?" It was a sight to behold. She heard about the crystals, how they kept the balance of their world. But... one that moved and presented itself like that? And... _talked?_

_Brave warrior... you have been chosen as the bringer of hope..._

_There are others who share your destiny... You must seek them out..._

"What... what do you mean?" Kyra cried out. "What are you talking about?!"

_Once you find them... I will bestow upon you... our last light... our last hope..._

_Now, go!_

"Wait! I-I don't understand!" Kyra shouted - but to no avail. A bright light, like that coming from within the crystal, began to envelop her, and her feet lifted from the ground as the world was blot out from her vision.

* * *

Arca: Well then, that was very interesting indeed, if I do say so myself!

Draco: Hear hear! Forgive me if I sound pretentious, but I feel like that came out quite nicely - albeit in a very... what's the word I'm looking for? _necrous_ manner.

Arca: We really are asking for some amount of trouble here...ah, but a life without trouble is no life at all!

Draco: Alright then! Let us know what you think! _Write what you think is right._

Arca: ...hey, wait just a moment! Isn't that my old play on words quote?!


	2. A Warrior's Misfortune

Arca: *pops up from piles of books* Hello, there! I'm drowning in my own work!

Draco: {steps out of dark room with controller in hand} And I am getting my ass kicked in Cocoon.

Arca: And we're back to bring you another chapter of this *special* work! Excuse the updating being late, someone is terribly busy at the moment.

Draco: And someone is being an ass about it. {glowing neon sign with "ASS" appears over my head, and "BUSY" over Arca}

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Upon the world becoming that little bit clearer once again, all source of light had disappeared once more, leaving her back onto the surface. Kyra had been set carefully onto the ground, on her hands and knees, slowly trying to adapt to the environment around her once again. Everything had been going too fast. "I've been chosen...and it's 'their' last hope? Just what was all that about?" A heavy sigh passed through her lips as she rubbed her forehead lightly, trying to clear her mind a little.

A sudden wind whistled through her hair, continuing on not far from here and to a small village found in the distance. Kyra looked towards the village, and - inhaling greedy lungfuls of fresh air, something far more pleasant than the stuffy oxygen below the surface - made her decision. She silently began to make the trek towards the village. As she got closer, she recognized it as her hometown of Ur; only her subconscious noticed that, however, for her active mind had more pressing matters to consider. During her walk, Kyra started to rattle through thoughts and questions in her head about the whole ordeal.

_Why me? I was just passing through, retrieving something that was rightfully mine…_ The girl groaned to herself, beginning to rub her forehead again. Then a thought suddenly hit her, and she stopped in her tracks at the entrance of the village. _What am I going to tell her?_ She wondered, nervous about going home to her mother, and explaining where she had disappeared to.

Another deep breath passed through Kyra's lips before she entered the village.

Ur was quiet as it usually was. People were either busy indoors with their daily chores and such, or out for a little fresh air before returning to them. Much business wasn't generated here, since it wasn't as big as the neighbouring town of Kazus - a settlement around the same size, if not a bit bigger, which seemed to do a good deal of trade and business more than what this village did. But Ur had its advantages. After all, most children were raised here rather than in Kazus due to industry and mining taking up most of the town's good name. Here, though, the children may have been free to do whatever they want, since it was hardly ever busy, nor loud and rowdy as that industrial town would have been.

Kyra began to take in the calm environment she was so used to. The wind rustling through the leaves of pine trees bringing a lovely, natural scent to her nostrils. Why, she remembered that clearly. She woke up to that everyday. The low murmurings from different villagers as if they didn't wanted anyone to hear their secrets, or at least, didn't want to ruin the quiet. It was actually so quiet that you could hear the birds get on with their own work, holding their own conversations. Even at times, there was a distant cry of an animal you could hear far from Ur.

She began going through each little humble home she passed, taking in the features of worn wooden shutters, aged and discoloured walls, and even the little bit of effort made by homeowners to make the house theirs. This kind of effort included some flowers or plants planted here and there, but really, that was about all the village could do for itself. Some doors looked like fresh, new wooden doors but others had their broken bits, or marks down them to signify how long they had been there.

And finally, Kyra came across a small house she had recognised all too well. It's house has been painted white, but faded to a darker colour over time. It's shutters were usually opened wide enough to look inside and see a humble home. Its door was in a relatively good shape to others eyes but often getting it open was a problem. You had to take push it open to get into the house, so there was no way of sneaking in or out.

Sighing, Kyra pressed hard against the door, managing to get it opened, and shuffled into the house, greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread. Shuffling further into the living room in front of her, she could hear a voice calling out to her - a voice that carried with it the silent echoes of worry.

"Kyra? Is that you?"

Kyra nodded to no one in particular, soon finding her voice. "It's me." She croaked.

As quickly as she made it clear it was her, a tall and lean figure entered the living room. To add to her figure was a thin face with prominently high cheek bones. Long auburn stands of hair were strewn across her face that had come away from her now messy bun. She looked generally... messy, as such, what with her apron crumpled and marked slightly.

"Where have you been?! You had me worried sick, you know!" The woman began, folding her arms as tired eyes managed to give off a stern look. Kyra flinched at that look. She rarely ran off like she did, and so worried her mother right off the scale of worrying.

She swallowed back before managing to stare into her eyes long and hard. There was no going back, no beating around the bush - she had to tell her mother what had happened. She started stumbling through words, the best she could find to help explain what a hell of a day she seemed to have. "That thief led me all the way over to that cave and it took me forever to find him until he led me to this temple. And then there was this giant dog, or dogs," She managed to emphasise during her fast paced explanation but didn't stop to let her mother react to it. "Either way all three of the heads ripped him apart and then there was this crystal-"

"Kyra!" Two hands were firmly placed on the panicked girl's shoulders in an attempt to stop her rambling. "Slow down, I can't comprehend anything you're saying!"

Kyra blinked a few times, her eyes locked with her mother's yet again. "I'm sorry, I-"

Her mother put a finger to her lips, her eyes still staring into her daughter's. "Don't apologise. Sit down, and then you can tell me what's happened."

* * *

What felt like hours passing to Kyra, the victim of it all, felt simply like fifteen minutes to her mother, Amina. Fortunately for the victim, her mother had a rather different reaction to the information that was spilled out for her. Of course, she had worried about where her daughter had run off to, any mother would. But Kyra didn't expect her mother to believe all that she had said.

"So, you truly came face to face with the Wind Crystal?"

Kyra nodded her head vigorously, her eyes full of exasperation. "It's true! I swear it to the gods, it's really true! And it did speak to me, before you ask!"

Amina took in her defined words, nodding her head slightly as she told her this. Still, she hadn't given away an one inch of surprise in her eyes, something that worried Kyra a little. It was like she had known something like this was to happen, that one day she was to come back to her mother and tell her of this…

Or maybe Kyra was overthinking things again. Her mom couldn't just know something like that, right?

Amina soon rose from the sofa that once sat neat and uncreased and faced away from her daughter for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. Silence filled the room, and only she broke it within moments of creating it. "You know, none of this was happenstance, Kyra."

Kyra couldn't help but blink at her comment. She was too dumbfounded to even reply to the fact that her mother may have known something about this, and yet, never thought to even make her aware of such knowledge.

The next thing she knew, her mother had crouched down beside her, and took her two hands in hers. Her eyes had locked with hers, sensing something of pride and respect from within her, but yet, all Kyra could see in her mother's soft blue eyes was misery. Still having no will to speak, her mother continued on.

"That crystal chose you for a reason. It recognises the will you have hidden inside you, and it knows... it just knows you're the first of the souls who have a duty."

"But I don't even know what this duty is!" Kyra suddenly blurted out, hardly shaking her mother as it came out. She sighed helplessly, looking down at the pairs of hands still tightly interlocked with one another. Aminia gripped onto them tightly, desperate not to let them loose.

Her mother continued to look at her, the uneasiness seeming to grow in them both. But the tension couldn't seem to wedge itself between the two. "Kyra... it's your duty now to seek out others who share your same fate... your same duty," Amina quickly corrected herself, swallowing back the lump in her throat. "Yourself, and the others, have a duty to help keep the balance in the world. The crystals can't keep the balance on their own anymore, not with their powers dwindling away. That's why the crystals need you - they need your will combined with their power. That is then enough to balance out the forces of light and darkness, the two things that co-exist and keep this world alive."

Kyra sat in silence, trying to take in what was always known to her as stories, silly myths in her eyes that her mother used to tell her when tucking her in at night. But they really were all true. They weren't as unrealistic as she thought they were. Looking up, with her mother still staring at her intently, she inquired, "And... how would you know all this?"

"I knew it when I first found you," Amina quickly replied, standing up as she still gripped her daughter's hands. "I may be a superstitious woman, believing all those tales and myths, but I know a valiant soul when I see one. Even as you grew up, and made your mistakes, and laughed and cried through every situation, I still saw that inside of you." Her hands then tugged at Kyra's, pulling her up onto her feet as well. "And that's what made me believe in those legends. You, Kyra. You're a Warrior now, and with what you have inside of you, you have to set out, and make use of it."

Kyra blinked a few more times at her mother, feeling the grip on her hands loosening and a cold air running past their separating hands after being together for so long. The girl still had so many questions that needed to be answered, but the urgent look in her mother's eyes had said something else.

She had to set out. Now.

* * *

Amina had ushered Kyra out of the house with a wallet full of gil, telling her to head to the storehouse at the other end of the village, and to take anything she needed. Her mother would explain the rest to anyone looking something from there later on. Not much was needed from there anyway; only a few potions, a bottle of what looked like eye drops, and a curious golden feather. A new sword and a small dagger were hidden in there, as well, and her mother's money bought a new shield and some proper defensive gear.

Once she was set, she took off to the best place she could find her future companions - Kazus.

The busy city was said to only take an hour or so to travel by foot, which meant it gave the new Warrior some time to reflect over unanswered questions...and what to say in order to find other 'chosen ones' within the town.

"Hi, there, I'm looking for...no, that sounds stupid." Kyra frowned, rubbing her head as she continued to think. She had difficulty finding the right words for some time on her trip. "Start with something a bit more casual. Maybe talk about the weather. That's always a good conversation starter, right?" She wasn't even convincing herself on that matter. She groaned, kicking at the ground as she walked along, thinking who she would even be paired with.

_What are the chances I'll get caught up with an idiot... or someone who is the complete opposite of me?_

A battle screech caused her to raise her gaze. Three goblins were standing there, their knives drawn; Kyra gazed at them for a long moment, trying to determine why they were trying to fight her - until her hand went for her sword, and collided with the wallet that was sticking out of her pocket.

A smirk rose on her face. After the fight with Cerberus, a few goblins would be a piece of cake.

If only coming up with conversation for a new companion would be so easy...

* * *

Kyra meekly opened the doors to the tavern, looking around inside. Enough of the afternoon light shone in from the windows to light the rather large place up. It was like any other tavern; full of people, drunk and sober alike, scattered from table to table with all sorts of beverages between them - and the occasional dancer seducing the odd man in certain corners of the room.

As Kyra gently stepped into the tavern, and the door slammed behind her, not that you could hear above the chatter and the laughter of the customers. She continued to examine her surroundings, looking for anyone who even remotely resembled some kind of 'chosen one'. People brushed and shoved past her without so much as a glance at her as she moved further on down into the tavern. Her eyes scanned from group to group, trying to narrow down those she could approach and come out with such a statement with. People still shoved past her, clearly not options for Kyra and were immediately ticked off her mental list.

Her eyes soon lay themselves on a tall figure in the corner, away from all the hustle and bustle of it all. Neatly combed black hair and dark eyes seemed to stand out more than the thin face they belonged to. They seemed older than Kyra, although, not incredibly older than what she would be. Whoever this person was, they didn't seem to belong in a place such as this. For starters, they looked too smart, not that those looking smart in appearance couldn't go to taverns. But the figure clearly stood out the more you looked at them. The figure kept to their own, talked to absolutely nobody and drowned out anything that would seem to distract them from... reading? The more Kyra looked over the man, after squinting and cocking her head to the side to discover what looked to be his gender, the more he looked to be a black sheep amongst this drunken herd.

_It wouldn't hurt in asking him about something…_ Kyra thought to herself, despite being rather reluctant to approach the man. She shook her head, murmuring, "Just do it and get it over with." After building up enough confidence, her legs began to move, heading straight towards the man with a confident stride.

But all that was remembered was a clash and a crash as soon as Kyra had started into her motion.

"I'm sorry, I am so, so, sorry!" Came a squeak in front of her.

After Kyra had managed to recollect where she was again, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tall figure gliding past her and through the cliques of people. She started to panic. "H-hey, wait! I need to-" But it was already too late. Her cries weren't heard to the door of the tavern that silently shut behind the figure.

Her target was gone.

Kyra groaned in frustration. "Great... just great!" She soon looked around to the mess that had sprawled itself on the floor in front of her.

Among the spillages, scattered sets of broken china, and tankards, was a girl, no more than a few inches smaller than what Kyra was. Long blonde locks shielded the left side of her face from view, and even at times some of the sheer panic and embarrassment in her eyes as she stumbled to fix the mess she created. No doubt this was one of the workers in the tavern. With a fully buttoned white blouse - that had faded to a light grey over time - and a darkish-red skirt that had reached down to just above her ankles, it was pretty obvious that she worked here, and looked neat and proper.

Feeling a sense of pity for her, Kyra did what she could only do, and went to help her pick up the pieces of her mess that she mostly helped cause. "Here... I'll give you a hand..." She murmured as she bent down to help the girl as best she could. Only, not much help had been given as both of their heads had collided into each other upon both bending over at the same time. The two both flinched and jerked back as their heads collided and winced. "Ay...some hard head you have…"

"I'm sorry!" The girl squeaked again as she let gather up some broken pieces of china first before going to pick up other items she dropped.

"You don't have to keep saying sorry, you know."

"Oh, right, sorry…"

Just as Kyra was about to start speaking to the girl once again until she heard a yelp, and looked up to find the owner of the sound being tugged to a standing position by her very hair. The hand that tugged at her hair was a man, quite tall in size and considerably older than what the girls were - around his early forties it seemed. Already his short hair and stubble had a greying quality to them, and with the tense lines around his temples and the bags under his equally grey eyes said a lot about him on his own.

"Ya can't go one shift without messin' somethin' up, can ya, Kimiko?!" His voice boomed throughout the tavern, causing the normal bustle of it to suddenly quieten down. The more he shouted in the poor girl's ear, the more he drew attention to himself and one of his workers. What was worse, his worker didn't even try to defend herself. "Every damn shift, I've got to deal with _you_, all because _you've_ started up something!" Anger visibly bubbling inside of him the longer he spoke, he gripped her hair harder and tugged at it more, more yelps escaping the girl's lips.

That was when Kyra decided enough was enough, and had to step in. "Would you stop it?! I ran into her; it was my fault!" She shouted at the man, fists clenched together in irritation. How could this girl, Kimiko, let someone else treat her like... like waste? And more to the point, how could this jackass think he had the authority to do so? Such people were nearly nonexistent in Ur - visitors to the town, most often, someone trying to get away from the bustle of the nearby places.

The man turned his eyes on Kyra, giving the unassuming Warrior a once-over - and lingering uncomfortably in certain zones. Without even looking back at Kimiko, he shoved her away, causing her to collide with a table and nearly knock it over. Kyra had little time to take notice before the man stormed forward, towering over Kyra threateningly. With his arms folded over his chest, he growled, "I don't play the sympathy card in my tavern, missy."

Kyra straightened her back, holding her chin high in reply, folding her arms in the same manner as the owner of the tavern. This was a game now, and she had to play her cards right. "You think you can scare me?" she reprimanded. "You think you can push me around like these other workers?! I'm a Warrior."

She regretted the words the moment they came out of her mouth. The crowd around her exchanged thoughtful glances... and burst out laughing, the tavern nearly returning to its previous volume. Kyra resisted the urge to shrink away, despite the embarrassment that threatened to enflame her face. What was she thinking, saying something like that in a crowd?

The tavern's owner smirked. "You've been enjoying your bedtime stories too much, missy," he warned. "I oughta-"

He never finished that sentence. His gaze had turned to straight ahead of him, his eyes widened for a moment. But, his expression quickly turned to rage as his ears turned red and a scowl was written all over his face. "Hey! Your shift isn't over yet!" Taking advantage of the distraction, Kyra followed his gaze as the crowd went silent once more.

The sight of Kimiko stumbling her way through the tavern had her boss almost too furious to move. Despite her constant stumblings, and trippings at times, she managed to summon up the will to shout back, "Get someone to cover it then!" Before the doors slammed behind her, and she had gone.

The man grunted as his eyes quickly laid back on Kyra once again, his nostrils flaring. "Get the hell out of my tavern." He growled in a low tone before turning his back and marching off, not even bothering to run after his worker.

Kyra turned to the doorway, and didn't hesitate to use it.

* * *

Just outside of Kazus stood the girl who suffered ill-fate wherever she turned. Kimiko was cursed with bad luck, or at least, so she was led to believe by the owner. If a customer was upset, it was her fault. If there was something wrong with the food or the drinks served, it was also her fault. Not that there was ever a logical explanation to how it was her fault but the girl couldn't question it. Not only that, but her tripping and collisions made things far worse than she wanted things to be.

Kimiko rubbed her temples, muttering angrily to herself as she usually had done. "You had to go and mess everything up again, didn't you?" She paced outside the town, careful not to miss her footing on the rough ground below her. "He's going to kill me when I get back! I'll have no job, nowhere to go…" She sighed before she groaned, and kicked her foot at a small stone - which she missed entirely and nearly lost her footing on. Kimiko then tapped her fingers on her chin, pondering. _I need to find other options here..._

"Everything alright?"

A panicked squeal died in Kimiko's throat as she turned to the sudden voice behind her, her heart in her mouth. But, to her relief, she only found it to be the girl that had helped her pick up the mess she made - the only one who had ever helped her clean up her mistakes. She swallowed back the fear she once had, and nodded slowly, gripping onto the sides of her skirt.

"It's okay, you know. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything like that," Kyra replied with a small smile, to which Kimiko half-heartedly smiled back. This wasn't going to be as easy as she expected it to be. Nevertheless, she tried the next best thing. An introduction. The girl held out her hand. "Kimiko, right? I sorta got that from the shouting match going on in there."

The girl in question snorted, just a little bit, before smiling with a more genuine interest and taking her hand. "That's me, alright... I'm a bit infamous around here, for... obvious reasons." She chuckled a little before clearing her throat. "And... you are...?"

"Kyra. I'm not from around these parts."

Kimiko nodded her head in understanding, musing to herself that the name Kyra hadn't popped up around Kazus at all. The two let go of each other's hands, and after that, an awkward silence swept over the pair. And it wasn't as if there was any background noise to fill the silence between them. All around them was surprisingly... quiet. Something that wasn't like Kazus at all.

"...Thank you. For what you did earlier. For me."

Kyra looked to the girl who gave the quiet statement, and couldn't help but frown at Kimiko. She said it in an almost... unfamiliar matter. Like it was the first time she had said so. Like the concept itself was unreasonable. "I couldn't just stand there while that happened," the Ur girl replied, but all she got was a simple shrug from the worker as she avoided her eyes. "You shouldn't let your employer push you around like that," Kyra continued.

Kimiko folded her arms and just shook her head. "It's a bit of a long story. Look," she said quickly, changing the subject around, eyes locking with hers in all seriousness. "I owe you one. What you did for me today meant... a lot, to say the least. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

That was when a glint flickered in Kyra's eyes, and Kimiko could easily see that. Already an idea had formed in the mind of the newcomer who had aided her, and the simple girl, who worked all her life in a ruddy tavern just to get by, was almost starting to regret her offer.

Kyra rubbed the back of her neck as she asked, "I have a... job to do. I'm looking for some people who might know something more about... erm..." She laughed nervously as she attempted to hastily think over her words. Kyra, don't you dare mess this up… "...crystal folklore. You know, more into it, who may be involved with it. You wouldn't know anyone else who... you know... someone who knows more about it?"

Kimiko cocked her head to the side as she considered Kyra's inquiry, humming as she rattled her brain for an answer. Kyra watched nervously, wondering whether this worker girl was actually thinking of someone who could help her, or something that could knock her out and provide a quick getaway. She suddenly snapped her fingers and grinned.

"Yes," she replied, "I know exactly who might be able to help! I've spoken with a man a few times he's been at the tavern here - goes by Cid." She continued smiling, and her smile widened as Kyra grinned back - and some tension poured out of her face. "He's a regular in the tavern. Comes all the way from Canaan too." Without further warning, Kimiko grabbed the village girl's hand and dragged her back into the village. "Let's go! I can introduce you, and then we can help you out..."

As Kimiko nattered away to Kyra to the things that could help the girl and where it could lead her, the child, born and raised in Ur, felt something in her gut that things weren't so right here. Sure, it was a different place from her village and it took some getting used to, but the atmosphere was completely different from when she first entered the village. Kyra's ill feeling of the atmosphere seemed to grow stronger and stronger right until Kimiko burst through the doors of the tavern.

And within, not a sound was heard, no scent of tobacco or alcohol or delightful heart-warming food wafted through the place. You couldn't even smell the very things you once could taste on the air throughout the tavern. And the thing that sent a chill of panic through both girls' spines?

Not a soul in sight.

* * *

Draco: {turns on FFXIII's Hanging Edge theme}

Arca: Ah, nothing says cliffhanger like ours does here. *sits in a ridiculously comfy red chair and drinks tea*

Draco: {lounging on big red loveseat, ankles crossed, bottle of cola in one hand} Clearly, you don't read enough manga, Arukuu.

Arca: Okay! That's us signing off with yet another chapter! Stay tuned for whatever will happen next, and make sure to tell us what you think!

Draco: Sayonara! {waves to readers and spills drink on self} Oh, for fu-


	3. The King and the Thief

Draco: ...I got nothing witty. I usually got something witty. Arca, you got something witty?

Arca: *looks through chest of many things* ...nope, nothing in here. *shakes cobweb off her hand*

Draco: {shrug; turns to readers} Enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Silence.

Raw, utter silence permeated the tavern as Kyra and Kimiko stood there, shocked. The tables were still scattered with drinks, there was still the wreckage from the girls' collision upon the floor, and yet there was not a soul was in sight. No drunkards at the tables, no dancers in the corners, no one at the counter. The air was motionless without laughter and cheer to move it, and the scents of liquor and smoke were only lingering traces, as their sources had departed from the building.

The door entrance collided with Kyra, snapping her out of her stupor. "What the... what has _happened_ here?" she cried out.

"How...?" Kimiko stumbled forward, disbelieving her eyes. "How did this... Where did...? Oh, heavens..." The more she tried to shake away bad thoughts in her head, the harder it became, and the more surprised she became as reality hit her square in the face.

"Who the hell is out there now?" The roar of Kimiko's boss caught Kyra's ears, and she turned towards a door leading further into the tavern, which appeared to have been left open. Curious, she stepped forward, one hand on her sword - and was surprised when someone walked out.

Except it _wasn't_ someone. It was the vague_ outline_ of someone, nothing more than a generic two-dimensional arc in the air. As the head looked around, she realized that its body was completely flat - there was no _substance_ to the being that stood there.

Kimiko saw the figure and _screamed_.

Kyra pursed her lips, and gave a nonchalant hum. "This is new."

The figure looked straight at Kyra - or seemed to; she couldn't exactly see its eyes - and growled in a familiar voice. "What the hell do you want, Warrior girl?" The snap made it unmistakable - this was the boss of the tavern. "Here to gloat? Talk about a pathetic grudge. The whole damn town's been turned into ghosts, and you come looking for me?"

"Ghosts?" Kyra murmured. Then she shook her head. "No, we're looking for some-"

She didn't finish - the boss had caught sight of Kimiko, and now he roared past Kyra's ear, "You!" The girl from Ur grabbed her ear, now ringing, as the boss stormed past her, marching up to Kimiko. "You got a lot of nerve coming back here, Kimiko! What the hell have you gotten us into now?"

Kimiko winced. "I'm sorry..."

"The hell you are!" her boss snapped. "You wreck my stuff, storm out in the middle of your shift, I start looking _straight through_ everyone, and then you come back here and think I'm gonna believe you're sorry? Yeah right! Look," he snapped, pointing at her face menacingly, "_you're_ the one who got us into this mess, so now-"

"What are you talking about?" Kyra shouted, causing the boss to turn to her. "You think she's responsible for this?"

"Shut up," the boss snapped, turning back to his worker. "Now, you damn well better find some way to get us out of this, Kimiko. Don't think I'm gonna let this slide by on your resume."

Kimiko tried to speak. "Look, I don't-"

Her boss lashed out with his hand, and by reflex Kimiko flinched.

The strike passed through her face without effect.

Kyra was sick of watching. "I've had enough of this," she insisted. "Let's get out of here, Kimiko." She started towards the door, taking the girl's hand and leading her to the door.

Her boss' roar caught their ears. "What the hell do you think you're doing walking away, wretch?" he shouted. "I'm not just gonna-"

"Oh, put a lid on it," Kyra groaned over her shoulder, pulling the door open and letting it close once she and Kimiko had left the building.

The worker girl looked guilty. "I am _**so** fired_," she murmured.

Kyra shook her head. "Don't think about that right now," she insisted, glancing around the town. Now that she was paying attention, she could see the people standing around - except they all looked like the same kind of outline as Kimiko's boss. "Let's leave visiting that Cid guy for later. Can you think of anyone who might be able to help us with this?"

Kimiko angled her head back, her teeth digging into her lower lip as she tried to think. "I don't think anyone in Kazus knows about anything remotely like this," she admitted.

"Great," Kyra grumbled. "What am I supposed to do now?"

The two girls stood there in silence for a moment.

"Well," Kimiko observed, "I guess you could try Castle Sasune. They say the people in charge of a land always know more than the land's people. Maybe the king will be able to figure out what's going on?"

"Let's hope they're nicer than your boss," Kyra mused, turning to leave town.

"Wait!" Kimiko's call prompted Kyra to turn back to her. "Let me come with you. I need to do something to help these people!"

"You don't really believe what that guy said about this being your fault?" Kyra asked.

"This place is my home," Kimiko replied, her tone filled with a pleading of some sort. "I need to help somehow!"

Kyra angled her head from side to side. "Good point," she mused, drawing a dagger out of her belt. "Here," she prompted, taking the weapon by the blade, "you're gonna need this."

Kimiko took the weapon in her hands, concerned. "Are you sure...? I mean, I'm not really..."

"Trust me," Kyra assured her. "You're gonna need something to defend yourself. It's not gonna hurt you."

She turned and began to lead the girl out of the town.

Not ten steps out, a shout caused her to turn to see Kimiko having tripped - forward, on a pebble, which seemed to be loose from the ground. The dagger was clattered next to her outstretched hands, and as she quickly picked herself up Kyra noticed her face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry," she murmured.

A familiar shout turned Kyra's attention back out of town, revealing a band of goblins waiting to strike - and a heavy sigh passed through her lips.

"What have I gotten myself into _now_?"

Only later would the Ur girl realize Kimiko hadn't really answered her question.

* * *

The trip to Castle Sasune took far longer than it should have - on account of Kimiko stumbling, tumbling, and generally being a klutz. Still, Kyra managed to maintain her patience as she and Kimiko stepped onto the flagstones, the sun setting nearby.

Someone rushed out of the castle, not paying attention to their surroundings - and running straight at Kimiko. Having noticed the worker girl was not exactly quick to react, Kyra quickly pushed Kimiko out of the way - and took the dasher's collision herself. The two tumbled over each other for a few rotations, coming to a stop back on the bare earth - and Kyra found herself lying under the runner's dazed form.

Her hair - at least, Kyra _thought_ it was a her - was messy and silver, though lit gold by the setting sun; her eyes were a poisonous green colour that made Kyra think of that potion she had found in Altar Cave. Her garments were of dark disposition - a black pair of short shorts and a black tank top, though her feet were bare - and she didn't have much figure to speak for her gender.

The girl gripped her head as though hurt before realizing she was lying on top of someone. "Oh, shit, sorry, sorry," she insisted, getting to her feet. Even her _voice_ was rather androgynous. "I'm so sorry, I gotta be somewhere. Sorry." She bowed furtively before rushing away from the castle.

Kyra followed her with her gaze for a moment, confused, before forcing herself to her feet. As she approached Kimiko again, a nearby guard came out through the gates. Upon seeing the two girls, he took up an assertive stance before speaking; "Welcome to Castle Sasune. State your name and business."

Kyra was nursing a bruise on her elbow as she spoke, stepping forward. "My name is Kyra, of Ur," the Warrior introduced. "This is Kimiko, of Kazus. We're here to speak with the king about... a pressing matter at hand in Kazus." She chose her words carefully, making sure she didn't blurt out something unlikely to be believed, as she had in Kazus' tavern.

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Pressing matter?" He sounded almost concerned.

Kimiko spoke up. "Everyone's been turned into ghosts!"

Kyra closed her eyes and slumped her shoulders, a slow breath passing through her lips._ Great. Now we look like a couple of gullible children._

"Ghosts?" the guard mused.

"Yeah," Kimiko insisted. "It's like, they're all turned into outlines. The same outline, even. They pass right through your body if they try to touch you."

At this point, Kyra was certain that the guard was going to tell them off for being fools; but no. Rather, he set a hand on his chin, thinking. "Outlines?" he murmured. "That... sounds kind of familiar."

"You're kidding me," Kyra murmured. That was just too good to be true. They were lucky enough to get away from this apparent curse that had befallen the town, but they were even luckier that someone actually had believed them.

The guard beckoned them forward. "Come with me," he prompted. "I will take you to the king." As he turned to lead them, he added, "Please don't go anywhere I don't lead you. The castle's in a bit of a state."

Kimiko angled her head to one side. "State?"

"Some thief ran in here and stole one of our mythril rings," he replied. "All the members of the royal family keep them as charms of fortune, but she managed to get her hand on the princess' ring and took off with it."

"Thief?" Kyra asked. "What did she look like?"

"I only got a fleeting glimpse of her," the guard admitted as he pushed the main doors open. "Dark garments. Silver hair."

Kimiko stopped, catching the Ur girl's shoulder and causing her to turn. "Kyra..." she murmured.

"What is it?" Kyra asked.

"Weren't you wearing a necklace?"

Kyra paused for the briefest of moments; then her hand flew to her neck, finding it bare - her crystal necklace was missing. "What the... How did she...?" Her gaze flew back out the doors, as though she expected the thief girl to be standing there with her necklace in hand. "That was the thief!"

"You encountered her?" the guard asked.

"Yeah, all of two seconds before you came out and talked to us!" Kyra protested. "I'll be right back-"

She started to walk away, but Kimiko grabbed her arm. "Don't," the worker girl told her. "She'll be long gone by now. Let's just talk with the king about Kazus and maybe we can track her down later."

Kyra grit her teeth angrily, but Kimiko had a point. "Fine," she murmured, turning back around. The guard was standing there, waiting for them to decide; she beckoned for him to lead the way.

* * *

King Sasune was a rather patient man. Kyra could tell from the moment she walked into the throne room; some of the soldiers were pacing, others were sharpening their swords, but the king was just sitting at his throne, waiting for his visitors.

The guard stopped ten paces away, stepping to one side.

Kyra took one step further and curtsied.

Kimiko took that same step and tripped on her own feet. The girl from Ur winced, watching her stumble to her feet and bow lightly. It wasn't the greatest of first impressions but it had to do as the king began to speak, his tone a gravelling one.

"I understand you have something to ask of me," the king mused.

"Yes, your Highness," Kyra mused, thinking her words through before speaking. "Something has happened in Kazus. Its residents have become mere spectres, their only visible presence a generic human outline. Their attempts to make physical contact with others only pass through unaffectedly. We have come seeking your advice on the matter.

The king set his hand on his chin, thinking for a long moment. "When did this happen, you say?"

"Er..." Kyra exchanged confused glances with Kimiko. "This morning, I believe?"

"This cannot be coincidence," the king observed. "Only just this morning, a small squadron of soldiers came back from the Sealed Cave, across the lake to our northeast. They said that an unfamiliar figure, wielding a sword and with a handful of fire, had appeared while they were patrolling the depths of the cave. I feel the transformation of Kazus' inhabitants may have something to do with this figure."

Kimiko gulped. "What should we do?"

The king beckoned for the soldier nearest him to approach, issuing a few quiet orders to him, before turning back to Kyra and Kimiko. "For tonight, I insist you rest up," he informed them. "The room adjacent the entrance has several beds that I am sure you will find comfortable. Tomorrow, I ask that you return to Kazus. I will send a few soldiers to the cave to speak with this appearance."

"You're crazy!" Kimiko blurted out; then she slammed her hands against her mouth.

Yet the only response she received from the kind was a series of chuckles. "How so? My soldiers are the most trained men in these lands. If he does not wish to cooperate, they can certainly defend themselves."

Kimiko dug her teeth into her tongue briefly before speaking again. "You said he was holding fire? As trained as your men are, this creature sounds like a sorcerer. He turned the people of Kazus into ghosts. I don't think your men are going to be alright."

The king raised an eyebrow. "What do you propose I do?" he asked.

"Let us go."

Kyra's words caused Kimiko, the king, and every soldier in the room to turn to her. She realized that she had spoken unnecessarily loud and cursed herself mentally - but did not let it show on her face - before continuing. "Allow us to speak with this sorcerer. We can determine what he wants from cursing Kazus."

The king looked worried. "You believe that you can survive if he tries to harm you?" he asked. "Where my men cannot?"

A long moment passed in silence.

"With all due respect, your Highness," she replied, "I do not believe that your men have survived an encounter with Cerberus."

Kimiko yelped, falling back and striking the floor of the throne room again.

King Sasune started in his seat. "You... Do you mean to say that...?"

"My name is Kyra," she introduced, realizing she had yet to give the king her name. "I am come from the town of Ur. To the north of my hometown is the Altar Cave, which holds access to a temple holding a crystal. In pursuit of a thief that had stolen something of mine, I arrived at the temple to find the crystal darkening - and a three-headed beast known as Cerberus guarding it. By the behest of the crystal itself, I fought the beast."

She held her hands out to her sides. "Do I look dead to you?"

Everyone was surrounded by the king's dumbfounded silence for a long moment.

Kyra took the opportunity to speak again. "If you will allow us to stay the night, it will be much appreciated - but in the morning, I will make for the Sealed Cave, and confront the sorcerer who had cursed Kazus.

Kimiko pulled herself to her feet, standing tall at Kyra's side. "A-and I'll go with with her," she added.

"Are you sure?" Kyra asked quietly.

"I told you, I need to help Kazus," Kimiko replied at a likewise volume. "If you're going to test that guy, I'm coming with."

The king bowed his head. "Very well. But for now, I insist you rest. At least until the morning."

Kyra and Kimiko both accepted the offer with gratitude.

* * *

"Where are you hiding..."

The girl who had run into Kyra at the castle gates went by the name of Malum - a chronic mischief-maker with the fingers of a demon. Castle Sasune was a treasure trove full of morons, and sneaking in earlier to snatch the princess' mythril ring had been easy - the crystal necklace from the chick walking in had just been a bonus.

She currently had that ring around her finger, and that necklace in her pocket, as she clambered up the castle wall in the dead of night - given the chill air of the late hour, she had exchanged her black, flexible garments for a dark red robe. One ring was not going to get her any significant coin; she needed to find something _very _valuable - or else several somethings that would add up to a great value.

The castle guard had intensified its watch; Malum nearly pulled herself over the wall and into a guard's line of sight before she noticed him looking her way. She managed to avoid notice, however, and the guard merely dismissed it as a sign that he needed to get some sleep. Malum listened to his voice fade into the night, muttering about the replacement on his shift being late.

With a grin, she leapt the wall, her bare feet clattering on the stone as she leapt over the other edge of the walkway. Her extremities found handholds and footholds that they had memorized from her previous trip in, and the thief didn't even hesitate before dashing towards the main doors.

The right door flew open.

A blade neared her neck from behind the left one.

Malum shrieked, trying to stop as the blade was withdrawn. That was probably a good thing; stopping in a rush was not something she as good at, which was the biggest reason she had had that collision earlier. She managed to slow to something resembling a stop before a hand grabbed her arm; the door slammed shut, and she was quickly dragged against it.

The owner of that hand was the girl from earlier.

In her other hand was the blade that had been at her neck.

"Hello again," she greeted, raising the blade against her throat again.

The girl winced, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "Son of a submariner."

Kyra smirked. She had been lucky that the thief had chosen to return; sleep was not coming kindly to her tonight. "What's your name?" she asked innocently in a cringey manner. Then, feeling it common courtesy to provide her own; "I'm Kyra."

"Malum," the sneak replied. She attempted to keep her face as emotionless as she possibly could. After all, as a thief, you could never show a sign of weakness. Her eyes narrowed as a look of uncertainty shrouded Kyra's face.

A pause; then Kyra shook her head. "Yeah, I still have no idea if you're a girl or not."

"_Yes_, _I am_, for your information," Malum muttered through clenched teeth.

"That clears up _that_ cloud in my mind," Kyra mused.

She released Malum's arm, but the thief had nowhere to go with a blade at her neck. Her fingers found the ring around her finger and drew it off, holding it up to the light. "So this is mythril," Kyra mused, setting the metal between her teeth. Her hand then dug into Malum's pocket, and were rewarded by the jewelled strands within.

She drew out the crystal necklace, slipping it over her wrist so she could take the ring back from her teeth. "Now," she mused, moving her blade away. "What to do with you."

Malum angled her head to one side. "You could let me go," she observed, eyes still narrowed as she looked over the girl.

Kyra only laughed.

"I'm serious," Malum reprimanded.

"Let me get this straight," Kyra said firmly. "You're a thief, who broke into Castle Sasune, and stole my precious thing to boot. And you think I'm going to just let you go?"

A sigh passed through Malum's lips as her shoulders rolled back slightly. "Alright then. I wanted to make this easy but...you've forced my hand."

Her hand flew to the back of her belt, and Kyra's reflexes screamed at her to move. She forced her body backwards as Malum lashed a dagger through the air where her stomach had been just moments before. The girl from Ur acted to disarm her, but Malum quickly stepped away, leaving Kyra with her sword impaled in the join between the doors. Irritated, she tried to draw the blade out; yet the force of her thrust had not only trapped the blade in the doors, but trapped the doors together.

Malum's smirk faded into a look of realization. "Wait, damn. That's my only way out."

Kyra turned to face her.

"I'm gone."

The thief spun on her heel, taking off into the nearest room. Kyra heard the distinct_ thud_ of a multi-body tumble.

With a chuckle, she stepped into the room - the Castle Sasune guest room - to find Malum having collided with Kimiko, who was now lying beneath her. The girl from Kazus recovered first, grabbing Malum's shoulders and rolling them around so that the thief was now trapped beneath her.

Kyra chuckled. "Who said clumsiness was a curse?"

* * *

Arca: *still looking through the chest* Mm, Draco, I have a feeling we were supposed to do something...

Draco: I do that all the time. Trust me, if you feel like you've forgotten something, odds are you've covered all your bases.

Arca: Hmm...maybe...ah, never mind. Must not have been important then. That's me, signing off!

Draco: {beckoning to chest} Arukuu, you forgot your box.

Arca: *climbs into it, incoherent mumbling, closing the chest lid*


	4. Djinn the Fire

Arca/Arukuu: Hey guys, we're finally back on track with another chapter! I've finished my exams and finally updated two in-progress fics. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself!

Draco: And I am rather... less than proud of myself, due to drifting in most of my own. But, no matter!

Arca/Arukuu: I've also changed my name back to a previous name I had awhile back, so, I'll probably be addressed as Arukuu once again.

Draco: For simplicity's sake, just use "Arca" on these.

Arca: Guess it's for the best... enough of our rambling, time to let our readers sit back and enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Later after dawn had arisen, Kyra was quick to wake Malum to drag the thief to the king. Kimiko had stumbled out of bed to join them. She was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she followed the girls along, only to collide with one or two pillars along the way.

Malum could only glance back in utter confusion at the sight of such clumsiness. "How the hell do you get that clumsy?" she mumbled to herself, though Kyra caught the words the mumbles tried to hide.

"She's cursed with bad luck." It was the only conclusion the Ur girl could come to, after the trip from Kazus to Castle Sasune. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Malum could only stare back at Kimiko, who hesitated for a few moments before sprinting to catch up with them.

It wasn't long before the waitress and the Warrior found themselves standing before King Sasune, just as they had the previous day; the only difference being that the thief was standing there between them. The contrast between their postures was almost comical - Kyra stood respectfully, gaze to the king and back straight; Kimiko tried to do the same, but her gaze kept shifting to Malum as though afraid she would take off; and the thief stood in a loose posture, her gaze everywhere.

"So, this is the young woman who stole the princess' mythril ring?" the king inquired, his eyes scanning the girl up and down.

Kyra nodded in response. "Yes, your Highness. This is the girl you and your men are looking for."

The king stared at no one for a few moments, deep in his own thoughts. Soon enough, however, he seemed to come back to reality, and in return, gave Kyra and Kimiko a kind smile. "I am grateful to you, for catching this bandit. We'll see to it that she receives appropriate punishment."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to object to that ruling, sire..."

Once again did the Warrior's words draw all eyes to her; even Kimiko and Malum gawked at her, and the soldiers exchanged concerned glances. None of them understood why she would catch an infamous thief, and then not even agree to the king's decision to punish her.

The king for a few moments, had sat frozen, his eyes glaring at Kyra. "...And why would that be?" His voice echoed through the throne room, all the louder after the prolonged silence. He found himself sitting in a more upright position, curious by Kyra's objection to his ruling.

"Well, you can't punish a thief who decides to return stolen property, right?" Kyra spoke in reply, earning more curious and confused looks from the soldiers and the king.

Malum leaned over to her, and nudged her, hissing, "What the hell are you-"

"Malum here had a change of heart, and came back to return my necklace and the mythril ring she had stolen." Kyra explained, turning as she spoke to Malum with a sweet smile, such as those her mother used to give her when she caught her sneaking dessert. The response she received was a series of erratic blinks from the thief, who - given a moment to think - could only mouth, _What!?_

The king glanced between Kyra and Malum, raising an eyebrow at the Warrior's words. "Is that true?" His voice boomed, catching Malum's attention. "Did you wish to return what you had stolen?"

Malum's eyes had turned to gaze at the king's, and the two studied each other for a few moments. After a few moments, she managed to form words through her confusion and slight anger. "Apparently so," she seethed. A quick nudge in the ribs from Kyra, however, made her think more carefully about her words and tone. Through gritted teeth, trying not to show the pain in her eyes, she replied, "Yes... sire. I did."

The king studied the two for a few more moments. Kyra had a smile on her face that was nearly casual, though her respectful posture had not shifted. Malum was slowly catching on to what Kyra was doing. Saving her ass from rotting in a prison cell.

"...Then Kyra's words ring true," the King announced. "I cannot punish someone who has chosen to return what they have stolen." He nodded slowly, taking in his own words for a few moments. Turning to Malum, he smiled to her. "You have done a noble thing in returning these items. I am glad that you have seen the errors of your ways."

Most of the soldiers glared through Malum, but the thief did her best not to give her true nature away. She stood up straight, and cleared her throat, nodding to the king. "Thank you, yes, so am I."

The king's eyes fell onto on the three girls in front of him, his bright smile still shining through. "Kyra, Kimiko, if you are to travel to the Sealed Cave, I would advise bringing the ring along with you. Mythril rings are charms of protection, and the metal itself holds a curious power - I am sure it will be of use against the enemy you go to face. And one more thing..."

One of the men nearby stepped forward, handing something to Kyra - a small box of sorts. The Ur girl was slightly confused. "Um... your Highness...?"

"This is a folding canoe," the king explained. "My soldiers often use them when they need to cross water. The Sealed Cave is obstructed by a small lake with a few... unpleasant substances in the water. This will be preferable to attempting to climb across its shores.

Turning to the king, Kyra bowed politely. "Thank you, your Highness. We will lift the curse on Kazus, I promise."

* * *

Upon returning to their guest room, Kyra was met with concerned looks from both Malum and Kimiko. Looks of utter confusion. Looking back to the two of them, she furrowed her eyebrows. "What? Something wrong?"

"Something wrong?" Malum scoffed, folding her arms. "What the hell was that all about? 'Realising the errors of my ways', 'returning stolen property'? I know we just met yesterday, but you know for _sure_ I wouldn't do _either_ of those things!"

Kyra just rubbed her temples, sighing a little as she listened to Malum's furious words. "Look... I couldn't sleep last night-"

"What's that got to do with anything?!" Malum interrupted, approaching Kyra almost menacingly. However, the Ur girl only raised one hand, causing the thief to fall to a stop only slightly closer than she had started from.

"Let me finish," Kyra interjected, looking seriously to Malum for a few moments before continuing. "...I couldn't sleep last night because I got myself thinking. About when I was in your way last night." She could see Malum's eyes gaze down at her, Kimiko's unmoving. "It's... actually _why_ I got in your way. After you finally passed out last night, I... I don't know. I felt something inside of you."

Kyra was only met by dumbfounded stares, most likely because they were taking in words with such deep meaning.

"Uh... you did _what?_" Malum could only seem to utter, her eyes riddled with concern.

Kyra blinked at Malum for a few moments, not seeming to understand her reply at first. She believed she made it pretty clear - that she got this feeling from inside- "Wait…no!" A blush like fire danced across her cheeks as she realized what Malum was saying. "I didn't mean it like-! Oh, good gods, what gave you that idea?!" she shrieked.

"You made it pretty clear you felt something inside me." Malum retorted, raising an eyebrow to Kyra, who rambled for a moment, trying to explain herself, or make up some excuse for wording it the way she did. "Either way... sounds as if you were up to no good last night..." She teased, rubbing the back of her head. After a few moments of silence, Malum raised her voice, grabbing the girls' attention. "Look, I'll tag along with you to talk to that guy... whatever his name was. He's bound to have some pretty good things to boot down there, and with your luck..."

Kyra just sighed, rubbing at her temples again. Confronting this issue after a sleepless night was a horrible idea. Alright, it was understandable that she had been stuck with a klutz who decided to tag along with her to help save her town, of course it was. But now a thief? Something inside her told her that this was only going to spell trouble for herself and Kimiko.

The waitress from Kazus then stepped up to Kyra. "Maybe we should take her along with us," she admitted softly. "As a thief, she'd be able to hold her own, right? We could do with her help."

Kyra looked from Kimiko to Malum, and after a hasty glance, she slowly nodded. "Guess you're right. We'll take you along with us." She declared. Malum's expression was indifferent towards being given permission to travel with them. "...Alright, let's get moving then." She ordered, marching to the door with an obedient Kimiko stumbling behind after her.

Before Malum continued after them, she took a quick glance around, before walking over to the wardrobe and kicking it, one of the drawers at the bottom loosening. She leaned down, and opening it fully, grinned like a Cheshire Cat upon seeing its contents - an Antarctic Wind and a pair of Potions. With a snicker, she grabbed the items and closing the drawer once again.

"Not exactly what I had in mind... but I'll take it."

* * *

The Sealed Cave didn't look like it much lived up to its name; its entrance wide open for anyone to walk in and out of. The water didn't even seem to be that unpleasant - although none of the three girls were particularly eager to test that observation. However, despite light peering in from the outside, the cave was immersed in darkness, undead groans echoing throughout the cave.

A musty scent permeated the air as Kyra entered the cavern... and yet the ground was dry and dusty, solid, with no signs of decay. There were a few torches along the walls, similar to the cave near Ur that led to the Crystal Altar, but beyond that there was nothing to show that anyone had ever been here.

Kimiko was hesitant in following Kyra into the cave; her footsteps were slow, worried, even as they were hardly a few meters from the entrance. When she heard the groans of the undead, she squeaked, clasping her hands to her mouth as she hastily glanced around her.

Kyra glanced around at her, raising an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"...Y-you know what, Kazus can help itself," Kimiko nervously laughed, already making her way to the exit, though her eyes still lay on Kyra - which meant she was walking backwards. "I never really liked that town anyway-"

The last word had hardly left her lips before she spun round - and her face slammed into Malum's chest, the thief having been the last to enter. There was... little to cushion the impact, and Kimiko was thrown backwards, landing sprawled on the floor of the cave. The girl from Kazus rubbed her head weakly, shaking it to get a hold of herself. "S-sorry! I didn't mean…!"

Malum simply grabbed Kimiko by the arm and hoisted her up, prompting a yelp to escape the girl's lungs. The thief stared for a few moments at the waitress as she stumbled to a steady stance, and only once both feet were firm on the ground did Malum let go of her arm. Kimiko glanced up at her after a few moments, as if she had expected her to do worse. Malum only replied with, "Gotta keep moving."

Kimiko slowly nodded, and turned to face Kyra, only to find that the Warrior had already wandered further down the cave, seemingly attracted to something up ahead. "K-Kyra! Wait up!" She shouted to her, running after her on her toes, for fear she would trip and smack her face off the ground again.

Malum sighed, following behind yet again, careful to keep her distance.

As Kyra ventured further down the pathway into the cave, she got closer to what she believed to be a flickering light in the dark cavern. As she approached further to the light, she could hear a voice, repeating the same word over and over again, often followed by some loud groans. What is that? She pondered to herself, cautiously approaching further to the sounds.

"...Cure!"

A quick shimmer of light followed the voice, and yet another groan erupted from what sounded to be a zombie. Kyra peered around the corner, finding a boy with unusually bright red hair casting Cure after Cure on oncoming zombies that were rambling their way towards him. His eyes were a deep red, focused only on his targets. He wore a tightly fitted blue shirt, with a black leather vest over the top of it, and quite ordinary faded black pants. Along with that, he wore short, grubby brown boots on his feet, rather effective for running in, Kyra noted.

However, just as she arrived did the boy seem to have some difficulty with his magic. The shimmer of healing refused to arrive, despite the boy repeating the incantation - his tone going from confident to concerned to worried. As Kyra watched his struggles, she saw three more zombies start to surround him, and the boy backed up against the wall, still trying to conduct the spell.

Malum had caught up, sprinting out of the shadows with a pair of daggers in hand - weapons that neither Kyra nor Kimiko had seen her carrying before. The thief arrived behind a zombie that was nearly close enough to strike the boy, driving one edge into the back of the undead monster's head. Letting out an unholy shriek, the other two zombies turned to find Malum and a rapidly-fading, no longer animated corpse, and as fast as their rotting feet could take them, limped towards her. The thief found herself worried at the sight.

"Uh... a little help here, guys?"

Kyra grinned before running at one of the undead creatures, who was too slow to turn and react to the swing of Kyra's sword, which slashed its neck with a gaping wound. Slowly, it fell to the ground, seemingly unmoving.

Before Malum or Kyra could move to the final zombie, the boy quickly intervened, swiping once, twice, thrice with a small knife of his own. In a moment, it too fell to the ground - weakened, but not defeated. It attempted to swipe at him, which left the boy with some difficulty in getting near enough to strike the creature with his knife. Kyra, however, was not going to wait around, and she hastily stabbed the creature through its head, leaving it in there as the zombie stirred for a number of moments and finally faded away.

Kyra and the boy exchanged glances for a few moments, and just as they opened their mouths to speak, they were interrupted by high pitched screams. Apparently the unmoving undead Kyra had struck down earlier hadn't truly died. It latched onto Kimiko's ankle, causing her to trip up, and the zombie to simply crawl closer and closer to her face. Again, the girls approached to intervene with this, but Kimiko stumbled in grabbing her dagger, and started stabbing blindly at the zombie. One stab went straight past its head, the second stab grazed its skin, and the third stab manage to embed itself into the monster's skull. Out came the unholy shriek once again as the girl from Kazus pushed her knife further and further in. Only after a horrifying moment did the Zombie finally die, and Kimiko panted for a few moments before lying back on the ground, trying to compose herself.

Kyra turned to the boy again, expecting the boy to shower them with thanks for saving them, motioning that he would soon be on his way back home. She was taken aback by his response.

"What the hell was that about? I was doing just fine before you came along, you know."

The Warrior just scoffed, rubbing at her nose. Then, she just started laughing to herself, earning herself a glare from the boy.

"What's so funny?" he shouted, folding his arms, his eyes like knives driving into her.

"I'm sorry," Kyra insisted, "but I saw you fighting. You were nearly monster meat. You call that 'doing fine'?"

The boy just continued to glare at her, straightening his clothes out, and standing tall. "I can handle myself," he insisted. "I've been in here before, you know, and I've come out without a scratch."

"Look, we saw you were in a little bit of a bother, and we decided to help." Malum stepped up to him, hands firmly on her hips as she stared him down, daggers of her own cutting through him. "A thanks would be in order for getting rid of those creepy things."

"I was here practicing my White Magic," the boy insisted, sighing as he plopped himself on a rock. Looking up to the two girls, his eyes still dark with fury, he asked, "Without any undead, how am I supposed to train?"

"On living people, preferably," Kyra retorted.

Malum was a little less respectful, sputtering with laughter. "You were practicing White Magic?" she demanded.

The boy glared once again. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Healing is a girl's job!" Malum snapped. "You oughta have a weapon!"

Kimiko got to her feet at this point, dusting her skirt off as she walked over to the boy. His gaze was now on the dusty earth below them, and he seemed to be resisting the urge to say something very unpleasant. She knelt down so that she was at his height, attempting to balance herself as she introduced herself. "I'm Kimiko. Who are you?"

The boy just glanced over to Kimiko, who smiled at him as their eyes met. He did not return the expression, sitting up a little straighter on the rock. "Haisen's the name," he replied, looking over to the other girls, raising an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"I'm Malum, this here is Kyra," Malum spoke on behalf of the two, nudging Kyra as she introduced her. "We're also known as the girls who saved your hide, but that's just a small detail."

Haisen rolled his eyes, standing up from his stone and turning to Kyra - who seemed to be a little less likely to insult him. "Any reason for three girls like you wandering in a dark and scary cave such as this?"

"We're here with permission from the king himself, actually," the Warrior explained. "We're here to speak to the sorcerer in this cave about his recent curse on Kazus."

"...The king? A sorcerer? You sure she didn't hit her head or something?" Haisen inquired, turning to Kimiko, who struggled to get onto her feet once again.

Kimiko shook her head, clasping her two hands together over her skirt. "I'd have had to hit my head as well," she admitted. "I narrowly avoided being turned into a ghost like the rest of Kazus."

Haisen scratched his head, his eyes narrowing at Kimiko, whose eyes expressed worry if he didn't believe her. "Sounds swell," he replied sarcastically, turning to Kyra. "Count me in."

"Eh?" Malum raised an eyebrow at Haisen, folding her arms. "Why the hell would you-?"

"Turning people into ghosts is the key element of the legend of Djinn the Fire," Haisen interrupted, setting a hand on his hip. "Skilled at swordplay, and throws fire like you or me would play with a ball. I _have_ to see this myself. Plus," he added, "you three need a decent healer on your side. For all your talk of White Magic being a girl's job, I don't see any of you casting." Turning on his heel and walking past the girls, he added, "I'd advise you hurry along - otherwise, we may well miss the man!"

The girls just stood blinking at the redhead as he started to make his way on through the cave throughout them. Though, they had to admit, he was right about a few things. They needed a healer to support them on the backlines, and he seemed to have memorised the layout of the cave. He could very well lead them to the one they needed to deal with.

Slowly, one by one, Malum, Kyra and Kimiko followed after Haisen, letting him lead the way, and possibly taking the brunt of any more encounters first.

* * *

Undead littered the entire cavern, making the entire trip a pain. Fortunately, Haisen's casting blip seemed to have been a temporary issue (although Kyra did see him smash an empty bottle on the head of the first opponent to get into close-combat range), and the combination of edges and arcana made everything easier.

Then they reached the pit of the cave.

There the Djinn stood, brandishing his scimitar in one hand; and in the other, fire flowed from the palm, flickering between his fingers. He wore attire that made Kyra think of the desert - puffed, dark blue pants held up by a glimmering gold belt, curled shoes with pointed tips, and even a short robe of dark red patterned with gold. Most of his dark, ebony hair was kept back neatly behind him in a high ponytail of sorts. Djinn enjoyed the feeling of the flames dancing in his hand, the power sending a wonderful sensation through his veins…

"I must be dreaming... it really is him."

The words drew the Djinn's attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to find a rather impressed Haisen standing there. Behind him stood a brave-faced Kyra, a rather worried Kimiko, and an annoyed Malum, who nudged the healer in the ribs with a fierce elbow. "There's this thing called stealth," she protested. "We could hav-"

Kyra cleared her throat, catching the other youths' attention, as slowly, she approached the sorcerer. "Are you Djinn the Fire?" When their opponent turned towards her, she continued; "We have come to raise concern over a little town called Kazus, which we understand you have cursed as of yesterday."

"If you could just... maybe... you know..." Kimiko meekly appeared from behind Kyra, fiddling with her hands a little as she plucked up the courage to speak. "The curse... could you... undo it?"

The moment the last echoes of her words faded, silence filled the cave, the Djinn staring down at the four youths before him, all of whom kept their eyes on him.

All of a sudden, the Djinn began to bellow with laughter, the sound so suddenly loud that all three of them stepping back. "Undo the curse?" he taunted. "Why would I do such a thing?"

"Because... because it's not fair!" Kimiko shouted. "The people of Kazus did nothing to you!" Her cheeks were suddenly very bright red, but not of embarrassment - this was a red-hot fury that had boiled inside her for long enough. "Just turn them back to normal, a-and we can forget this ever happened!"

The Djinn's throat let out a deep, dark chuckling as his left palm started to linger with a more powerful flame than he had conducted before. "Stupid children," he reprimanded. "Do you think you can stop a sorcerer such as I? Very well - I will put you to the test!"

With a wordless roar, he thrust his left palm forward towards the youths, lighting the floor of the cavern with an ever growing flame that sped its way towards them. Malum and Haisen were quick to avoid it; Kimiko, distracted, was dragged by Kyra to the side of the cave at the last moment, up against the wall.

Through the flames, Kyra could barely make out an androgynous figure and their new stubborn companion, who seemed to look right back at them. But before they could even make any other signal to each other, Djinn leaped towards Kyra, slashing his scimitar at her armour. Luckily, the blow didn't deal much damage to her, but the sharpened edge cut right through her leather armour, leaving a small gash on her stomach. As the Djinn set to strike again, Kyra raised her sword against his; the two edges clashed together, but it was painfully obvious that the Djinn's scimitar was of a much firmer build than the Ur-built sword Kyra held. The Warrior couldn't keep her blade up against Djinn's for very long; slowly, deliberately, he pressed down harder and further on her weapon, his intent to make the girl slip and his target a much easier kill.

Just as Djinn was about to strike again at Kyra, Malum had sprinted up behind him with haste and ease, and slashed at his back with her daggers, causing him to yell; the sorcerer retaliated instinctively with a swing of his blade his weapon, not taking very careful aim. Again, he hadn't caused much significant damage, but had slashed her upper arm in the blind strike.

Kyra moved to slash at the Djinn while his back was turned, but almost as soon as she stumbled to her feet again, Djinn had quickly slash back at Kyra, causing her to stumble back. Yet, as she did that, she could see out of the corner of her eye a shimmering object bouncing away from her. That was when her moment of realization stuck. "Kimiko, the ring!" she could only shout back as the Djinn had slashed at her yet again.

Kimiko, upon finding the shining mythril bouncing away, found her feet reflexively stumbling forward. She had almost picked it up when the Djinn caught sight of the girl from Kazus chasing the precious ring. He quickly outstretched his right palm again, and suddenly, flames rose from nowhere near the girl, causing her to lose her balance and stumble back to avoid any risk of injury.

Where the clutzy waitress failed, the thief didn't hesitate to move in; Malum was there in an instant, sliding past Kimiko and the fire and sheathing one knife to snatch up the circle of mythril. Haisen quickly used Djinn's occupation to cast quick Cures on Malum and Kyra; then he realized exactly what the thief was holding and nearly stumbled.

"Is that mythril?!"

Kyra rolled her eyes. "Not another one," she muttered, lashing at Djinn's arm while he was still from his casting. She quickly ducked under the resulting retaliation and rushed towards Malum. The bandit quickly stepped back, only to find Haisen right behind her, grabbing the ring from her fingers and raising it forward in both hands.

Djinn panicked, rushing forward with his scimitar raised. "No...!"

"Evil spirit, be sealed!"

To the amazement of everyone present, the sorcerer went still at Haisen's incantation. "What are you _doing?_" Kyra exclaimed.

Haisen grinned. "Djinn the Fire succumbs to the seal of mythril," he explained. "It's easiest with a ring - just my luck! The first time I see him... I get to seal him away!"

"No... how!?" If looks could kill, Djinn would have slayed the healer boy right then and there. "What has made you so powerful...?!"

Speak of the devil, and Pandaemonium shall rise.

An absolutely _menacing_ sound echoed across the cavern, and Haisen's grin vanished, replaced with a look of fear as he gazed around them. Kyra, Kimiko, Malum - beneath each of them was a circle of black power, from which emerged horrifying black mist. A distortion in his vision caused him to gaze down to see that he was surrounded by the same type mist, emerging from the same type of circle - and slowly, his body began to descend into it.

The Djinn vanished before him.

And the four of them - Kyra, Haisen, Malum, and Kimiko - all fell into the darkness that lay below their feet, taking their weapons and the mythril ring with them.

* * *

Draco: Alright, I know for a fact I'm going to be wearing the _biggest_ Mulch-eating grin next chapter, but I'm going to have to ask you to save that all for _next_ chapter, and focus your reviews on the less betrayal-seeming elements.

Arca: I'll probably see you all in about three months for the next update… *lifts suitcase* Sayonara!~

Draco: Oh, come on. I bet you a hundred gil we can have this out by July 1st at the _latest_.

Arca: Knowing your update speed, the next chapter could be up within the week... *drops bag of gil*

Draco: Challenge accepted!


	5. Gales of Darkness

Draco: Alright! I've got Coca-Cola, and there's nothing sitting between the petals on my lily. Let's get necrous.

Arca: And I have tea and... nothing of that sort to say. Uhh... *looking around* Wait, that was quick. That was really quick.

Draco: {laughs} If you need explanations, just ask. {to readers} Enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Kyra opened her eyes.

Her vision was dark for a moment as she tried to muster the strength to rise. After a moment, she realized that her surroundings were _familiar_; that strength came in a hurry, and the Ur girl shot to her feet in a fright.

"This is...!"

The shining stones, the open floor with nowhere to run, the massive, shining crystal of spring green that looked nearly blue - this was the Crystal Altar north of Ur. After a moment's confusion, Kyra's hand went to her neck, relieved to find her necklace still hanging from her neck.

"Ugh..."

The groan from nearby prompted her to turn round. Lying there, sprawled across the area where she had fought Cerberus, were Kimiko, Malum, and Haisen. Malum had her twin daggers lying on the floor next to her hands, Kimiko's knife was still hooked at her belt - there was a small cut on her hip where its lack of sheath had proven less than preferable - and Haisen, the source of the groan, had the mythril ring sticking out from between the fingers of his closed fist, a small gleam emerging from within the loop of metal.

Slowly, the three of them got to their feet, looking around them at the environment they now found themselves in.

"What... what is this place?" Kimiko murmured.

Haisen's gaze fell on the great stone in the centre of the altar. "Is that... a Crystal?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening at the very sight of it.

"A who?!" Malum's voice was one of excitement as she spun to follow Haisen's gaze; then her face fell. "Well, damn, I can't carry that."

Kyra opened her mouth to protest; then she shook her head, swiping her hand dismissively. "Whatever," she muttered.

Kimiko turned to her. "Is this... that place you mentioned to the king?" she asked.

"Yeah, the temple north of Altar Cave," Kyra confirmed. "But... _how_ are we-"

_It is I who summoned you..._

The voice that emerged from nowhere drew different reactions from everyone. Malum swept her daggers off the floor; Haisen braced his hands to cast; Kimiko turned and fell onto her behind. Kyra's hand was halfway to her sword when she recognized the words; slowly, she lowered her hand, turning to the Crystal.

"You're the one who brought us here?"

The other three turned to her, confused; then they, too, raised their gazes to the massive stone that stood there.

_You four have been chosen as the bringers of hope... The light has begun to swell in this world. If you do not act, the equilibrium will be shattered, and this world will be flooded with light. Take with you the last hope of this world, that light which hides in the shadows, and go forth._

For a brief moment, with such suddenness that they could not react, none of the four could see - the altar had gone black, such that even the sun, high in the sky, was nowhere to be seen; then, gradually, the light returned.

The crystal had changed - its once brilliant hue had become a menacing gradient, a nearly black shadow at the base, and a nearly white shine at the tip - and a gentle breeze began to flow from the stone.

_You are the Warriors of the Dark._

As the voice from nowhere faded, Kyra was certain those words were the last they would hear from the Wind Crystal.

A brief moment in which silence permeated the temple.

Haisen was the one who broke it.

"Well, what the _hell!?_"

Everyone turned to the healer as he stormed towards the Crystal. "_That's_ why you dragged us here!? We just sealed _Djinn the Fire_, and you're telling me we're _darkness!?_ What the _hell?!_"

"What are you so angry about?" Malum protested.

"I'm a _healer!_" Haisen shouted, whirling on the bandit. "I can't do _darkness!_ Darkness _hurts_ people!"

Kimiko stepped forward. "But... the Crystal just said we're the bringers of hope..."

"I call bullshit!" Haisen snapped. "How are we supposed to bring _hope_ if we're pumped full of shadows?!"

Malum groaned. "What are you freaking out for?" she demanded. "So you can't be a healer. So what? You shouldn't be healing in the first place!"

Haisen aimed a finger at the bandit. "You shut your mouth, you little nymph!" he protested. "My family has been working White Magic in the inn at Canaan for generations! If I come back and tell them I got pumped full of darkness by a Crystal, they're gonna-!"

"What did you just call me?" Malum demanded, confused. "A _nymph_? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Haisen slapped his chest.

Malum repeated the motion faintly before realizing what he was saying; fury _burned_ in her eyes as she lunged forward, and only Kimiko grabbing her arm stopped her from knocking Haisen across the altar as she roared, "_You son of a-!_"

"**Enough!**"

Kyra had been mostly silent, contemplating the Crystal's words; but the moment her companions - her _fellow Warriors_ \- made to attack each other, her voice boomed through the altar, bringing the other three to fall quiet. Haisen hesitantly turned to face her; Kimiko released Malum's arm and gripped her skirt nervously; and Malum ran one hand along the arm that had been held - the Kazus girl hadn't been holding on too tightly, but she _had_ stopped the bandit's intent to knock Haisen's teeth from his mouth.

Once she was certain the other three had fallen quiet, Kyra sighed, setting a hand on her head. "This place is close to Ur," she explained. "My home. We can go there, we can rest - I think we could _all_ use a rest after that fight - and then we can go back to Castle Sasune and ask them what to do with the ring. Whatever comes next, we're _Warriors_, alright? We're not going to fight each other."

Malum scoffed. "I hardly think you-"

"We _are not_ going to fight each other," Kyra insisted. "I don't care what words you might have, we _will_ leave the blows for our _enemies_, alright?"

The other three exchanged nervous looks; then all of their gazes fell to the floor. "Alright..."

* * *

Altar Cave had a small upper cavern that led to the entrance of the cave - though Kyra advised the others to be mindful of the hole she had fallen through while pursuing the initial theft of her necklace. From the entrance, it wasn't that far to Ur; the trip consisted mostly of awkward silence and Kimiko stumbling.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the village, and Kyra led them to her home. A heavy breath passed through her lips - she hadn't expected to be returning so soon - before she lightly pushed the door open, beckoning the others to follow her in.

As the four had entered the house and trekked further into the living room, Kyra's mother had just turned the corner, and slowly halted, staring at the four figures in front of her. Though, the first one that caught her eye was her daughter.

"Kyra..." Amina uttered, her eyes locked with Kyra's.

"Mom... look, I can explain this..." Kyra could only utter back.

"Take your time to gather yourselves. I'll get you all something..." Amina quickly turned on her heel before any of them could protest, and walked quickly into the kitchen.

She came back no more than ten minutes later with refreshments, and some small pieces of food if they were hungry. Hardly any of it was touched.

As they had sat down opposite each other in the tiny living area, Kyra was the one to take the reins of explaining all that had happened; how the four came across each other, the unfortunate circumstances of Kazus, the meeting with the king and later the Djinn... and then the four of them standing before the Wind Crystal. They didn't understand their duty of bringing equilibrium to an unbalanced world. They didn't understand why _they _were chosen. They believed it all to be some mistake.

"The Crystal doesn't make mistakes," Amina started, looking to each of them. "The four of you were all chosen with careful precision. These roles aren't just handed out to anybody." For a few moments, she paused as the Warriors took this in, as the reality would dawn on them that there was no getting out of this situation they had been thrown into. "There is no world without light, nor darkness. The two coincide with one another, just as the sun and the moon, and dusk and dawn. However, there cannot be too much of either. We cannot have the sun shining down on us all day, nor can we have dusk looming over us for more hours than it is needed. It is the same with light and darkness. Floods of either element bring forth the Void, something that would reduce the very world to nothing if not stopped."

The four again, sat in silence and amazement of what Amina knew. Again, silence swept over them, until Haisen decided to break it.

"I... sort of get that... but what I don't get is the _people_ \- _us_ \- who are chosen to do it." He sighed, tugging at his collar slightly, looking as if he was about to have another nervous breakdown. "Yes, it's all good assigning people to balance out the world, but a _medic_ as a Warrior of the Dark? The two don't mix. I heal people; I don't hurt them. That's what darkness is, right? Pain, and suffering?"

To the girls' surprise, Amina wasn't taken aback by Haisen's confusion of a healer being chosen as what was seen as someone who would hurt another. Instead, she shook her head lightly, her eyes landing gently on Haisen's own. "Darkness does not always equate to evil," she told him softly, "just as light does not always mean good."

Haisen could only blink at her words, finding it a strange concept; that darkness wasn't all malevolent, and light wasn't as pure and kind as it seemed to be.

"Every living being has their flaws – they make their mistakes. No one is perfect, regardless of whether you are affiliated with the light, or the darkness."

Kimiko slowly raised her hand, as if she was a student, Amina being her tutor, teaching her all she knew. Her tone going soft, she inquired, "Then... why do people praise the light... but shun the darkness?"

"Light is the form given to hope," Amina immediately responded, her eyes sinking to the floor as her voice grew quiet. "Therefore... darkness is seen to rob you of that hope."

Kimiko opened her mouth slightly ajar, though, she slowly closed it again, not being able to find the words to reply to Amina's words.

Amina slowly raised her eyes and looked around to each of them: Malum, Kimiko, Haisen, and then her own daughter, Kyra. The girl, again, saw that in her mother's eyes was a sadness she was trying to hide. Addressing all of them, yet with her eyes focused solely on Kyra, she concluded, "You must prove them wrong... you must bring balance to the world once again..."

And the four could only sit in stunned silence, reality finally dawning on them who they were, what they had to do, why they were chosen to do it. No matter how much they would deny it...

They were the Warriors of the Dark.

* * *

Amina insisted that they spend a little more time in Ur, to come to terms with the task at hand. The small village seemed to be a good place to calm down; none of them particularly objected to the request. The home had a small guest room that had never seen use before, but that hadn't stopped Amina from keeping it tidy; Haisen went in there, muttering something about needing a rest to compensate for all the magic he had been using. Kimiko lingered in the living room, trying to take in everything Amina had told her; Malum, who they had expected to try and snatch everything that wasn't nailed down _and_ on fire, found herself pacing the room nervously.

Kyra retired to her bedroom, opening and closing every drawer and cupboard, making sure she wasn't leaving anything behind that she would regret; then, once she was done, she sat down on her bed, trying to think of what to do next.

_We talk to the King about what to do with the Djinn that Haisen sealed. Then... I guess Kimiko's gonna have to talk to her boss about the whole Warriors thing. Probably best if we don't talk about the darkness part, he's gonna be enough of a pain... Then what...? She mentioned something about a Cid guy who might know about the crystals..._ "Ugh, we're grasping at straws!" she cried out, falling back onto her bed and slamming her hands down at her sides.

One connected with something small and hard.

"Ow!"

She shot back upright, grabbing at her hand. The impact had stung slightly, but there didn't seem to be any serious wound; concerned, Kyra glanced at the bed, trying to figure out what had just happened. This thing certainly hadn't had any springs sticking out last time...

Then she saw it - a tiny figure of spring green that seemed almost blue.

Curious, Kyra picked it up, looking over it. It seemed to be a miniature crystal - the texture was different from the ones on her necklace, instead being more reminiscent of the Wind Crystal that had told them of their duty. It could not possibly have been any bigger than her thumb, and suspended inside was a very small figure in gold - it looked like a broadsword, if only from the size of the blade compared to the handle. It was two-dimensional, and when Kyra turned the crystal past its image, it vanished, replaced by what looked like writing so small she couldn't read it.

"What is this...?" she murmured. "And... where did it come from?"

With a mild hum, the Warrior made to pocket it, reasoning that she would find out what it was later - but when her hand entered the pocket, she quickly felt the connection of several _more_.

Now at once _concerned_ and _amazed_, Kyra got to her feet, grabbing what she could feel in her pocket and drawing them out. There were five tiny crystals there, all of them with a small figure imprinted on them. Aside from the one with the broadsword, there was also one with what looked to be a closed fist, another with a flower of some sort, one with a small flame, and the last with a snowflake of some sort.

"Guys, come here!" she called, her voice echoing through the house. "You've got to see this!"

Kimiko was the first to arrive - tripping on Kyra's bedside table and (fortunately) landing on her bed. Haisen was up next, with an expression that told the others he had decidedly fallen asleep in the guest room; and the last was Malum, who sounded slightly confused.

"What are those?" the bandit asked, seeing the tiny figures in her hand.

"I'm not sure," Kyra admitted. "I found them in my pocket when I sat down to think. I mean... they _look_ like... tiny crystals, but-"

She realized the error of her words the moment they emerged; in an instant, she closed her fingers to guard the small stones, lowered her hand, and pulled her head away as the Malum swiped at the air where they had just been. "Malum!"

"Oh, come on!" the attempted thief protested. "You've got a necklace full of the things _and_ your home is like ten minutes from that huge temple! I haven't got any-!"

As she was speaking, she grabbed her pockets and inverted them - and she fell quiet when this action cast a series of _tiny crystals_ out of the one on her left side. Everyone's gaze went to the floor at the sight of the minute stones scattering across the surface; there were five of them, all of them the same spring green as the ones Kyra was holding, all of them with a tiny image in gold suspended inside.

"Where did _those_ come from?" Malum demanded, dropping to her hands and knees to pick the little stones up.

Kimiko and Kyra exchanged glances; then Kimiko stuck her hands into her own pockets. She was still wearing her waitress uniform, which had a fair number of pockets on it, but eventually she drew out an identical series of five crystals. Seeing this, Haisen likewise reached into his pockets, drawing out four - which prompted him to wince.

"Aw, man," he muttered, "I think one might have fallen out in the bed."

He was back with the missing one by the time Malum had picked up all of hers - the small figures were _hard_ to pick up on a smooth surface - and the four of them looked over their stones.

Malum was the first to speak once they were all there. "Where do you think these came from?" she asked.

"Most likely the Crystal," Haisen mused. "They're the same colour."

Kyra picked up the one from her set that held the sword, holding it up to the light. "It looks like there's something written on it, if you turn it away from the image," she murmured. "But... it's so small, I can't read it." She squinted hard at it, straining her eyes in an attempt to make it out.

"_Blade... in... hand... bladed... heart_...?" She let the crystal fall to her palm and closed her fingers over it. "What's that supposed to-"

A blur of black crossed her fingers.

Kyra had no time to react before darkness _surged up_ from around feet, causing her and all three of her fellow Warriors to shout in a panic. For a brief moment, Kyra could see _nothing_, and none of the others could see _her_ \- then it faded, and Kyra felt... heavier.

"What the...?"

Her gaze went to the tiny crystal in her hand; and she was shocked to see that hand covered in a glove with an _armoured cuff_.

"_What the-!?_"

Astonished, Kyra glanced down at herself, the other mini-crystals falling to the floor. The girl from Ur now looked like a soldier that could put the Sasune guards to shame - hardened, layered leather adorned her torso, with metal pauldrons closed on her shoulders, gloves with metal cuffs on her hands, and sabatons on her feet with metal anywhere that didn't need to bend. Her legs were adorned with lightweight leggings of deep blue cloth, and for a brief moment she felt the urge to _slice_ something.

"What in the world...?"

Footsteps in the hall prompted everyone to make way as Amina walked in. "Are you all alright?" she asked with a voice of concern, looking around the room. "I heard screami- Oh." Her gaze fell upon Kyra in her leather and steel, and after a moment's shock a small smile formed on her face - the kind of smile one would give when they are relieved no one has been hurt. "Where did that come from?"

Kyra chuckled nervously. "We're working on that," she admitted.

Kimiko picked up one of the tiny crystals in her hand, holding it towards Amina. "I think it came from one of these," she explained.

While Kyra knelt down and tried to pick up her fallen stones - the difficulty compounded by her new gloves - her mother held a hand out to Kimiko, who set the small crystal into it. With a studious gaze, Amina looked into it. "Oh, my," she mused. "Why didn't you mention you had these?"

"We didn't know," Malum explained. "Kyra started shouting about finding some in her pocket and we all just... sorta... ended up finding them in our own."

"Do you know what these are?" Haisen asked, looking to Amina with intent to find out the answer.

Amina nodded. "If I recall correctly, these crystal shards enable what is known as a 'job class'," she explained. "They're gifts that use the Crystals' power."

Kimiko hummed, looking at her stones in curiosity.

Kyra had managed to (with great difficulty) get all of her own shards back in hand, turning to her mother. "A job class?"

"Yes," Amina explained. "They're gifts of battle, granted by the crystals." Slowly, she rotated the crystal against the light, as her daughter had done. "Within each is a mark that acts as the symbol of the class; if you turn it aside, it becomes a battle vow."

"Battle vow?" Malum mused. "Just before Kyra got dressed in that, she was reading off one of them. She said something about blades..."

Upon receiving her mother's gaze, Kyra nodded. "_Blade in hand, bladed heart_," she recited. "And it on the other side was a sword."

Amina nodded. "That would be the vow of a Warrior," she explained.

All four of them gave her unamused looks, causing her to chuckle lightly. "Sorry, that sounds slightly... redundant, doesn't it?" she observed. "I suppose the best way to put it would be... A combatant. Someone who specializes in bringing a fight to a swift end."

Haisen hummed. "So, what's the vow do?" he mused. "Is it just a way to switch clothes?"

"It is easiest to change into the job class by reciting the vow aloud, with the crystal in hand," Amina admitted. "But if you want to use a certain class to its fullest, you must come to adhere to the vow."

"_Blade in hand_... I guess that would mean using a sword?" Malum observed. "Or maybe an axe would work. But what's... _bladed heart_ mean?"

"It means not being afraid to fight," Amina replied. "A Warrior of the blade must be willing to solve a problem with their sword."

Kyra suddenly began to feel very uncomfortable in the combatant's gear, and the armour had nothing to do with it. "So... how do I get out of it?" she asked.

Amina only bowed her head towards the crystal Kyra held in her hand. "You need only hold the crystal the class belongs to," she assured her, "and will to return to how you were."

She still had the crystal with the sword in the opposite hand from the rest; slowly, Kyra closed her eyes and focused. Another surge of darkness ripped up around her, causing the other three to jump - even Amina stepped back, not quite expecting such a drastic action; when it faded, Kyra was back in her faded leather clothes. With a sigh, she returned the crystal to its set; Amina returned the shard Kimiko had given her and made her way out, leaving them to talk amongst each other, and to figure out what they would do with these crystals themselves.

"Well, I think I know what you'll be doing," Kyra mused, turning to Haisen.

"I think you're right," the medic admitted, picking up the crystal with the plant on it. They weren't quite sure, but both of them had a pretty decent gut feeling about what it did; he turned it to read the vow, looking at it closely. "You got a magnifying glass in here?"

"Not in my room," Kyra admitted. "My mother might have one."

Haisen squinted at his shard. "Um, let's see... _Glowing... hands... caring... heart..._"

He had time to breathe in before he, too, was blot out by a surge of darkness. All of them pulled away - it would take a while before they could get used to that - until the shadows faded, and Haisen was revealed to be in a bright white robe.

Malum started laughing. "What's that supposed to be?"

"_White Mage_, damn it," Haisen snapped, flipping up the hood of the robe - the white cloth contrasted pretty drastically with his red hair and red eyes. "I still haven't seen any of you cast anything."

"Let Kyra do the healing if she won't use a sword," the bandit insisted, shuffling through her own crystals. "I still say healing is a girl's job."

Haisen looked like he was about to sock her one pretty hard until Kyra put a hand in front of him. A firm look reminded him about her insistence that they not harm each other, and he fell quiet as Malum picked one of her crystals. "Here, this one's got fire on it," she mused. "This might be fun. Um..." Three for three were they squinting at their crystals - Kyra was _definitely_ going to ask her mother for a magnifying glass before they left. "_Mind... of... fire... Gaze of... ice?_"

Another surge of darkness; when it faded, Malum was wrapped in black robes that contrasted pretty sharply with Haisen's white ones. There was also a wide-brimmed, pointed yellow hat sitting on her head; if she fixed the collar upturned and hunched her shoulders, Kyra was pretty sure her face would be invisible. "Oh, hey, this is good."

"Black Mage," Haisen mused. "You're rocking elements with that one."

"You seem to know your magic," Kyra observed.

Haisen shrugged. "Grow up in a family of healers," he mused, "you start looking at different paths."

Kimiko picked out one of her crystals, though in the process knocked the others to the floor. She set the one she had picked on the table nearby and picked the others up, putting them in her pocket so she wouldn't drop them; her attempt to pick up the one she had set aside ended up knocking _it_ to the floor too. Finally, however, she had her choice in hand and was looking at it curiously - she had picked the one with the fist. "Um..._ Reflex... my shield... body my... sword_, I think."

She hardly had time to say 'I think' before the darkness surged around her; when it faded, she was in a blue fighting gi with deep navy trim. Her hands were wrapped in deep black, fingerless gloves, and a pair of short shorts covered her thighs, while her feet were protected in loose sandals.

"Don't know that one," Haisen admitted.

"I do!" Malum prompted. "You're a fist-fighter. I think 'Monk' is the right word? Your job is mostly beating things up with your hands."

Kimiko looked concerned. "Um... I don't know if that's..."

"Well, you don't _have_ to use _just_ your hands," Malum admitted. "You can put on some knuckles if you're punching, or some claws if you'd rather slash. Anyways, that reflex part, I think it means you're good at dodging."

None of them wanted to bring up the fact that Kimiko was the _last_ person to be good at dodging - but perhaps keeping quiet would improve her chances. She turned to Kyra, changing the subject. "What are you gonna pick, Kyra?"

Kyra sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea to have two the same," she admitted, looking back at her crystals. "And I'd rather not use that Warrior-of-the-blade one. Which leaves me... with this." She picked up the shard with the snowflake on it, peering at the vow. "_Blade... my magic... magic my blade,_" she mused, slightly confused.

When the surge faded this time, Kyra was rather more appreciative of the garments - a red jacket with white trim, a short-sleeved white shirt below, black gloves, some slate-grey leggings, simple red boots, and a red cape that trailed to the back of her knees. There was also a red hat nestled on her head, with a wide brim and a white feather stuck in the top.

The sight of the garb caused Haisen to gasp in awe. "That's a Red Mage!" he exclaimed. "That looks good!"

Malum began laughing at the words. "It 'looks good'?" she mused. "When did you start-"

"Shut up, nymph," the medic interrupted. Kimiko found it a lot easier to hold back Malum as a Monk while the bandit was in Black Mage robes; the White Mage simply turned back to Kyra. "I meant to say it looks good _for combat,_" he explained. "A Red Mage is an all-around-er - swordplay, healing magic, _and_ elemental magic. Not quite as good as a proper caster, and doesn't quite hit like the sword-Warrior will, but you _can_ do them all."

Kyra huffed lightly, glancing at her hands - the gloves weren't as stiff as the last ones, and they weren't cuffed, either. "A jack of all trades, and a master of none," she mused.

"Often much better than a master of one," Haisen added assuringly.

Kimiko and Malum neglected to mention that they - and he - were _currently_ dressed as 'masters of one'. Malum simply cleared her throat. "So, we all like this setup?" she mused.

"Healing, burning, hitting, and someone who can do all three," Kimiko mused. "Yeah, I think this will work."

Kyra nodded. "Well, we've got a king to report to. We shouldn't keep him waiting. Haisen, you've still got Djinn in the mythril ring, right?"

Haisen's hands went to his pockets, drawing out the loop of precious metal. "Right here."

"Then let's go."

* * *

Arca: We really are asking ourselves for trouble here, aren't we?

Draco: That we are... Do you mind if I rant for a bit? I want to pre-empt all the ones who are going to call me a liar.

Arca: Go ahead, I'll pop the kettle on while you do so.

Draco: Alright. {turns to readers} I want to get one thing out of the way first: I _never_ **specifically **said that these were _not_ the Warriors of the Dark. If I did, I _did not_ **intend** to. I mentioned to an announcer that this IS the same world that Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ingus went through in III. This _is_ **true** \- explanations will come later, in-fic, I'm sorry to leave it at that. I mentioned to a plumber that it's a horrible idea to make assumptions on someone else's work based on one's own headcanon (I really hope I'm using that word right). This _is_ **true** \- you just happened to be correct in this case. I mentioned to someone who wrote a wall of text that Arca and I had written the summaries for our respective versions of the fanfic without contact from one another. This _is_ **true** \- at the time, I was talking to her about maybe changing that summary, but I let it slide when I realized we'd be dropping the façade this quickly. {clicks tongue} I think that's everyone whom I had spoken to. {to Arca} You get any reviews I don't know about?

Arca: *dipping tea bag in and out of the water* Mm...I've checked a few times. Don't think there's anything more.

Draco: Alright. {cracks can of Coca-Cola} Any questions you got?

Arca: Yes - how the hell do we update so fast?

Draco: By compensating for updating so slow. {elbow nudge; turns to readers} Enjoy!


	6. Beginning of the Shadows

Arca: Ah, would you look at that, we're already at Chapter 6… *wipes at her eyes* They've all grown up so much!

Draco: {rolls eyes} This is why I try to avoid OCs these days.

Arca: Draco, quick, pass the tissues! You shouldn't even get me started on the manner of OCs!

Draco: {awkwardly rubs jewelled ring on index finger; tissues start raining down around Arca} Alright, let's leave the poor waterworker to her devices and get on with the fic. Hope you all enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Leaving Ur wasn't easy for Kyra nor Amina. Leaving Ur was different than it was last time. Instead of ushering her daughter out the door, Amina had done the opposite. Only a few steps out the door did Kyra's mother rush out to her, and wrapped her arms around her. And almost immediately, her arms wrapped themselves around Amina.

Amina held her tightly, seemingly attempting to hold back tears. She took Kyra's face in her hands, and looked at her with glassy eyes. "You all be careful now, you hear?" she whispered, trying to hide the sadness of her girl leaving so soon. Kyra nodded quickly in reply before Amina gripped her girl one last time. She stroked some strands of her hair out of her eyes before she stepped away. Looking to the other three who stood behind her, Amina managed a smile to each of them. "I wish you all good luck. If you ever need me, you know where to find me."

The three slowly nodded to Amina, exchanging a smile of their own back, and thanked her for her generosity. They started to make their way out of the village, but Kyra found herself lagging behind, giving her mother several final waves before they finally started to make their way to Kazus.

The town and its inhabitants seeming to be back to normal. Many were relieved that they could see each other - and not through each other - again. It wouldn't be long until the town was back to business as usual once more. Kazus was always quick to adapt to change. A ghostly curse was nothing to the town.

"We should really buy some proper gear before we do anything else," Haisen suggested, looking to each of the three girls. Malum raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Such as…?" Malum asked, looking for some sort of explanation from Haisen on what exactly they should be getting.

"Weapons, first off, are a must in any situation." Haisen remarked, folding his arms as the four approached a small shop, its post above reflecting a symbol of a sword. Underneath, it read: _Kazus' finest weaponry to offer! _Haisen was less concerned with the quality than the type of wares themselves; he quickly walked straight through the door, the girls clambering in behind him.

As soon the four youths had made their way through the door, what looked to be the store's shopkeeper turned around, grinning. "Ah, would you look at that; customers!" he boomed, making his way towards the four to interest them in his wares. "Guess no curse scares away potential buyers..." he murmured, putting on his best, toothy grin. "So, lad, and, uh…lasses, how can I help you?"

"We're just having a look around, to start," Kyra replied simply, walking over to one section of the shop, seeing a variety of swords, shields, staves, and more. The shopkeeper had just nodded in reply, and murmured something before he walked back towards the counter.

As Kimiko and Malum looked over to one rack of weapons, knowing what they were looking for, Kyra stood staring across the selection, trying to decide what she would use. That is, if she _knew _**what** she could use. The Ur girl grabbed a sword, and delicately pulling it from its sheath, inspected the blade. Mythril in its entirety: the blade was sturdy, and yet the weapon was fairly lightweight - it couldn't possibly have been heavier than the one she found in the Altar Cave. Kazus was renowned for its use of mythril, and Kyra wasn't surprised upon seeing such a weapon firsthand.

The girl soon glanced over her shoulder to check on Kimiko and Malum - one, because Kimiko caused chaos wherever she stepped, and two, she still had a lingering distrust for the thief deep in her stomach. However, it was neither Kimiko or Malum who she first lay eyes on, but Haisen. She stared at him for a moment, before he walked to her side, looking at the array of weapons himself.

"So, what will you be using with your sword?"

Kyra hadn't thought of the question. It was clear by the blank look on her face that she hadn't thought of having another weapon to use with her sword.

Haisen heaved a sigh, before he pointed to another sword similar to the one Kyra had picked up. "Option one: twin swords. You could use two swords in battle instead of the one sword." He glanced over to Kyra, who clenched her teeth and made a slight hum as she seemed... unsure of the first option. "What I expected..." the redhead murmured, remembering how Kyra had reacted to the Warrior's battle vow. His gaze now settled itself on a shield; Haisen quickly pointed at it, and looked straight at Kyra to make sure she was holding the girl's attention. "Option two: sword and shield. This obviously helps when you're trying to defend yourself; a broader range of defensive positions can prove rather handy. Finally..." His finger moved along to a wooden staff, and the girl's eyes followed. "Option three: sword and a casting tool. Not the most obvious, I'll admit, but that red jacket comes with arcana. It'll take some getting used to, but it'll keep your magic as handy as your blade."

Before Kyra could even answer Haisen, a clanging of metal on metal echoed through the shop. She didn't even have to look around to know who it was. The Red Mage heard multiple metal objects clanging and scraping together off each other and off the ground, and an array of apologies towards the shopkeeper.

Haisen also seemed used to this particular bad luck that Kimiko possessed. Looking into Kyra's silver eyes, he stated, "There is no wrong choice here."

Kyra's eyes broke contact and down to her options that Haisen had helpfully pointed out and explained to her. Twin swords were a definite no-no. Quite quickly, her options whittled down to two. _A staff or a shield..._ she wondered, her eyes settling from one option to the next. After a few minutes of standing there and pondering, she grabbed option two, inspecting the shield.

Haisen folded his arms, seeing Kyra had made her final choice. He simply made no comment, seeing as he didn't have much of a choice for himself in these robes. The White Mage soon reached towards a staff himself, looking at it closely as well. Casting rods helped to amplify Black Magic, while staves did the same to White Magic; Kazus' armoury had the former in mythril, but the latter only in simple wood. "Guess I'll be the one with the staff then." He remarked, turning to speak to his comrades. "Malum, you grab a casting rod?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure, sounds good." Malum hastily replied back, though she kept her back to the White Mage, seemingly preoccupied with something else.

Kimiko sighed as she turned away from the selection of weaponry, feeling deflated of seeing everything but what she needed - fighting knuckles. Her eyes trailed over to Malum to see if she found any luck finding a weapon, but only widened in shock at her open robe, seeing something slip down into the Black Mage's leggings. "M-Malum, what's that in your shorts?!" She shrieked, causing Malum's head to bob up in the direction of a very concerned Kimiko, and a rather suspicious shopkeeper. Her eyes flashed for a moment with an obvious guilt that couldn't be denied.

With a click of a tongue later, she resumed to a calm and collected nature, simply asking in a faked, confused tone, "...What's _what_ in my shorts?"

"You sure you're definitely a girl?" Haisen taunted, stepping back slightly; Malum immediately whirled around to retaliate against the White Mage, Kimiko quickly jumping to action in order to hold the androgynous bandit back.

"Keep those taunts up and I'll make sure that _you're the girl _before we leave Kazus!" she yelled, struggling slightly to get out of Kimiko's arms. However, after a few swift movements, something slipped through the leg of her shorts and fell to the ground with a short clang. The four youths looked down at the sneak's feet, finding a knife lying there. After a few moments, Malum faked an act of surprise. "So, _that's _where my knife went!"

The shopkeeper, like the others, just stared at the knife, his nose wriggled in disgust. It looked as if he didn't want that knife back. Kyra rolled her eyes slightly, reaching to the wallet of gil her mother had gifted her with, taking out a few coins.

"No one fret; _I'll _pay for it."

* * *

After paying Malum's way out of trouble - and making sure the thief's ever-active fingers hadn't snatched anything else - the four agreed to make their way to the tavern to face none other than the owner himself. Well, three had agreed to make their way there. Kimiko wasn't keen on returning to the tavern to speak to her boss. She already had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach how it would end.

Walking through the tavern greeted them with the sight of more than enough people to make up for the lull of the curse; several regulars filled the tables, along with a few people who needed a freaking drink after the experience. It was almost as if the curse had never happened; alas, the welcome sight was short-lived before a voice familiar to Kyra and Kimiko boomed out from behind the counter.

"Kimiko!" The tavern boss' roar echoed through the tavern as he marched to the four standing at the doorway. The tavern went silent once again; Kyra found herself slightly unnerved upon realizing that Kimiko being treated like hell by her boss was _entertainment_ for these people. "Where the hell have you been?!" The yell alone had Kimiko flinching away, but the man didn't stop there. "We've had to clean up the mess you left behind! My new dishes have been broken, I'm left with less help on a busy shift because of you walking out, our regulars got upset because of that little outburst of yours, _and_ you even managed to get the town cursed! Do you have any idea how much money-?!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Kyra interjected, stepping up to the man. "You're accusing _her _of cursing Kazus? And just because she did something that got you angry?" By the tone in her voice, Kyra was just overcome with disbelief at what her boss was trying to pin on Kimiko.

"That Djinn guy was the one behind all of this," Malum interjected, folding her arms over her chest. "Hell, he outright said he just did it because he felt like it."

"Well, who else could have started all this?" the boss quickly replied, pointing his finger accusingly at the girl in the fighting gi. "She was the one to go and order him to curse Kazus! It was a perfect plot for revenge!"

"That's not even possible; she was right with me, right outside the town when it happened!" Kyra argued back, which only caused the man to give a short laugh, now pointing his finger to the Ur girl.

"You were in on this with her, Warrior girl!" he snapped. "The two of you went to the Djinn to curse us all!"

Kyra grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm away. "Don't _ever_ call me that again," she snapped.

Unable to listen to any more of this argument, Kimiko hastily stepped forward, protesting, "None of that's tru-!"

She was cut short by a hasty strike against her cheek, the slap and her shriek echoing throughout the tavern. The force of the blow had forced Kimiko back a step from her boss, already a blazing red from the impact of skin-to-skin contact. Yet, no sooner had she regained her footing than her body was acting in reprisal; the Monk quickly lifted a leg up, and with a loud grunt, drove her foot right to the man's stomach. The tavern boss had no time to react before the blow threw him halfway across the tavern, slamming into a table a short distance away. The table toppled over upon the man colliding with it, and almost as soon as he tumbled to the ground, Kimiko seemed to _explode._

"I can't take this anymore!" she shrieked. "For _years_ you've been treating me like _dirt_, blaming _everything_ on me just because _you think you can!_ Well, it ends _now__!_ You know what? I _quit!_"

The whole tavern was filled with a stunned silence of a girl like this standing up to the owner who provided such a service to them.

With a growl, the man managed stumble to his feet, and with his hands curled into fists, ready to find their mark, he marched to Kimiko, "I'll show you what we do to ungrateful little bit-!"

This time, the owner was quickly cut short, a wooden staff whacking off his head. This sent the man crashing to the ground, and he grabbed his head, groaning in pain upon impact with the staff. Haisen quickly set his staff down on the wooden floorboards with a loud slam as he stared down at Kimiko's former boss. "I've only been in this town twenty minutes and already I've got a headache," he grumbled.

"Let's get out of here," Kyra insisted. "We've got things to do." She shot the man one last disgusted glare before finding herself turning on her heel, and walking to the door, revelling in the stunned silence that still remained.

Malum leaned over the owner, and spat in his face, before following Kyra behind. Haisen simply said nor did no more as he too slowly made his way to the door. Kimiko only caught herself staring at how pathetic her ex-boss looked. Anger still seethed in her eyes, and her fists remained curled in fury. After a few moments, she could only make her way quickly to the door after her comrades, before she would cause any more damage.

* * *

The moment they were out of Kazus, Malum broke out laughing.

"The looks on everyone's faces were _priceless_!" she exclaimed, walking slightly ahead of the group. Laughter spilled from her as she thought back to the legendary event in the tavern. After a moment, avid curiosity took her; the Black Mage turned to Kimiko, starting to walk backwards, and asked, "Now, where the hell did you learn to kick like that?"

The Monk's cheeks went a faint red, and her mouth sat ajar for several moments as she trampled behind, trying to find words to say. "I... I don't know. It just sort of happened," she insisted, finding the corners of her lips raising slightly, a small smile evident on her face.

"Most importantly: why did you stay at that place for so long?" Haisen inquired, genuinely curious of why Kimiko would stick around and work there if it was clear that she hated it. Kimiko was silent for a few moments, finding herself rubbing her arm in another way to figure out what to say.

"I had nowhere else to go, really," Kimiko admitted finally, finding herself shrugging her shoulders. "I've been through more homes than I can remember. I always ended up getting handed off to someone else after I ended up breaking something. Kazus' tavern was almost the last one." The girl sighed, looking up to the clouds above them as she continued on, less careful to avoid where she was stepping now. "I really should be grateful, in a sense... I was lucky to get a job, and a roof over my head. It was a little better than not having my parents around, wherever they went."

Kyra stopped in her tracks, causing Kimiko to bump into the back of her, and to fall back onto the ground. Haisen stopped by the side of her, before a few moments Malum had followed suit. Just as she was about to ask what was keeping them, Kyra looked to a flustered Kimiko. "Wait, you don't know your real parents?"

The Monk looked up at her, blinking, before she shook her head. "N-no... I was orphaned, as far as I'm aware of..."

Kyra couldn't help but blink, her mouth opening slightly as she looked to the others, and pointed at herself. "I don't know my real parents, either," she insisted. "My mom... Amina's been my mom as long as I can remember, but she told me when I was pretty young..."

"Get out!" Malum cheered, quickly walking back to the group, eyes widened in scepticism. "I'm an orphan too!" she quickly joined in, looking down to Kimiko next, who blinked erratically at her too, hastily stumbling to her feet.

The three girls' eyes moved directly to the boy standing near to them, who just stared at the three in astonishment. Scoffing, Haisen robbed his temple, shaking his head a little before also admitting, "I was adopted too."

The four all stared at each other, not seeming to believe each other as they all admitted that they hadn't been raised by their true parents.

"...Do you think the crystals knew about this?" Kimiko asked.

Malum only scoffed at the notion. "The crystals? Really?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise..." Haisen murmured, rubbing his chin as he shrugged and looked to the girls. "The crystals are all knowing and all powerful, after all."

Kyra couldn't help but chuckle a little. The others seemed visibly confused at why the girl seemed to find this so funny. "Well, this just got very interesting. The crystals must have something very important in store for us."

The four had to admit it though - the crystals had left more questions than answers at the beginning of their journey to saving this world together. Especially why the four of them were specifically chosen for this destiny.

* * *

As the four newly named Warriors of the Dark approached Castle Sasune, Kyra advised Malum to take off her hat, and Haisen to lower his hood; the job classes granted them very different garments, and she didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea. When they were close enough to be seen, a guard at the gate hastily made his way towards the four. "Kyra of Ur?" he asked, hoping to confirm the girl's identity.

Kyra nodded in reply to the guard, "Yes, that's me," she confirmed.

"King Sasune ordered for me to guide you to the throne room upon your return," the guard responded, nodding to himself as he remembered the King's orders. Turning on his heel, he began to make his way forward, and signalled to another guard behind the closed gates. As the gates opened, he looked to the four who stood there. "I'd advise you not to keep the king waiting," he warned before leading them through the gates.

As the four traversed through castle, many of its residents had moved out of the way of the oncoming Warriors. Some other soldiers along the way to the throne room even seemed to stand at attention upon the sight of the youths. It was clear to the four as they passed each person that they were eager to hear of the fate of Kazus, as well as whether the one who caused the curse in the first place had received his just reprisal.

Once again, Kyra, Kimiko, and Malum found themselves inside the throne room, with Haisen the only one who had not been there before - it seemed they always had an extra companion when they came here. Many of the soldiers stood in silence, holding their breaths as they waited to hear of all that happened.

The King rose from his throne, calmly looking to Kyra in front of the youths. Slowly, he had asked, "You have returned... am I right to assume that the sorcerer has been sealed away?"

"Well..." Kyra started, but Haisen stepped forward, taking over.

"Djinn the Fire has been sealed inside this mythril ring," The mage explained, holding up the ring between his index finger and his thumb. "As legend says, Djinn succumbs to the power of mythril - once he had been sealed, this in turn had reversed the curse on Kazus."

King Sasune still stood, finding himself almost in a state of shock of how such a thing could be so quickly done. He looked to Kyra, inquiring, "Do this young man's words ring true?"

Kyra nodded to the King. "We were there when it happened, sire."

The King slowly lowered himself back down onto the throne, and was deep in his own thoughts. All were surrounded by silence for several moments. It was unbearable for some to wait for King Sasune's words. The King soon cleared his throat, in which everyone in the room opened their ears to, preparing to listen to their King's words.

"You have my gratitude, young ones. If you have no obligation against it, my men will take the ring to the Sealed Cave, and reseal it so that none can enter and cause a travesty such as this again."

The four looked to each other after the King had suggested this, and slowly nodded to each other before nodding to the king.

King Sasune smiled, and signalled for one of his men to retrieve the ring. Haisen willingly handed the mythril loop over to the guard, who nodded to the boy before stepping back to position. The King spoke up once again, "I also wanted to speak about another matter…"

Kyra blinked a few times, confused by what else the King would want to speak to them about. "...Yes?"

"A small casting item, going by the name of Antarctic Wind, disappeared yesterday morning. You wouldn't happen to know of its disappearance?"

Immediately, Kyra, Kimiko, and Haisen's gazes turned to Malum, who stood behind the three. However, instead of faking confusion like she had in Kazus' weapon store, she simply sighed, and tried to explain herself. "Okay... I may have taken it..." she admitted, "but I swear, it was for good purpose. I thought it would be useful against the sorcerer. I mean, we're not as well trained as your knights here, and we barely defeated the Djinn." The King said nothing, and neither did his men. All there was on her were deep, intense stares. Malum quickly took the item out of her pocket - a blue sphere with an icy sigil - and added, "Look, I can return it. You must be able to use it some way, after all."

The King raised his eyebrow as he stared intently at the girl, who seemed to genuinely tell the truth. After hearing Malum explain her side of the story, he simply sat up straight, shaking his head. "I would like you to keep it."

"...Eh?" Malum just narrowed her eyes, suspecting this as some sort of trick, which the King laughed heartily at.

"I appreciate your honesty. Not a lot of people have that quality. As well as that, you four deserve some sort of reward for saving my kingdom, and I am afraid we have little in the way of rewards." King Sasune smiled at each of the youths. "Again, I cannot express my gratitude for the deed you have done for me."

Malum smiled back the King, and nodded. "Thank you, sire."

"Now, I'm sure you young ones have other things to be doing that speaking to an old man like myself," King Sasune chuckled a little, again, nodding to each of the four youths, and expressing his thanks once again.

Walking out of Castle Sasune, and away from the waving guards, Malum walked out in front, throwing the Antarctic Wind up and down in her hand, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, you little nymph," Haisen muttered, looking rather sternly to Malum. The Black Mage didn't even seem to register his comment; she only looked back to him and nodded, a grin still stretched across her face. He sighed, and looking back to his other two comrades - Kyra walking alongside Kimiko, who still seemed to find herself tripping over any little stone lying in the ground - the White Mage asked, "So, where to next?"

"We go to Canaan," Kyra replied, putting her arms behind her head. "You've got to go see your folks, after all."

"...Oh... yeah..." Haisen murmured, folding his arms over his chest and heaving another sigh.

"D-don't forget we have to go see that Cid guy," Kimiko piped out, shaking Kyra's arm.

"...You want to see Cid?" Haisen eyed Kimiko with an perplexed expression. The girl quickly nodded in reply. The boy just couldn't help but chuckle a little as he rubbed his nose. "Maybe not after you meet him, you won't..."

* * *

Draco: An undesirable Cid? Fangs of Lindzei, I hadn't even _played_ Type-0 when we decided on that one!

Arca: Every Cid is memorable for some reason or another!

Draco: {to readers} To those of you who _have_ played Type-0: I assure you, this guy is nothing like Aulstyne. To those of you who _have not_: don't worry, that's not a spoiler. {back to Arca} Which group do you fall into?

Arca: Number two, thank you - I don't see myself getting a PS Vita anytime soon.

Draco: Vita? The original was on PSP and 零式 HD is for PS4. You're thinking of X | X-2 HD.

Arca: Either way, I remember it was a PSP of some sort. See, that shows you how much I know about the game!

Draco: {chuckling} Fair enough. The PSP version was Japan-exclusive, though, and this game suffers from a bad case of faux-Japan fan-trans - I recommend getting HD.

Arca: Ahuh...oh, yes, anyway! *turns to readers* I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and tell us what you think! Also, I may be on hiatus from tomorrow to the 30th. I apologise for the inconvenience, though I may be able to get on at different times. *turns to Draco* Sound good?

Draco: No issue. We _may_ be able to get the next chapter of the Age Before up relatively recently before then, but that still leaves the issue of Arca's Legend, so that's about as much as we'll be able to do. Drop a review if you enjoyed this one!


	7. Meetings and Farewells

Draco: {sitting with PS4 controller in one hand, other hand on chin} Square Enix is so confoundingly cryptic when it comes to Fabula Nova Crystallis.

Arca: *scrolling through one Wikia article to the next* They also tend to put in a lot of confusing lore... *scratches head*

Draco: {leans into your laptop and closes your browser window} Stay off of the wiki, Arukuu, you KNOW how much they love to spoil things. I can walk you through the mythology, the crypticity is in the cutscenes.

Arca: *groans* But Draco...!

Draco: There's a video for the mythology, and I can help you with anything it doesn't talk about. For your own sake, I insist you stay off that section of the wiki. These are _good games_, and they're _good Fantasies_, I don't care **what** the clueless announcer says. If you get spoiled, you're gonna regret it big time.

Arca: *sighs a little, rubbing the back of her head* Alright, alright...I only ever go on there for FFIII related content for Legend anyway. Right, anyway! *spins around in her spinny chair* We've got Chapter 7 for you readers! Enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix.

* * *

The trip to Canaan had a decent number of unfamiliar monsters getting in the way - largely a sequence of humanoid Berserkers with oversized swords - but with their new Crystal-gifted job classes, it was nothing the Warriors of the Dark couldn't handle. Kyra kept safe with her shield and sword, Kimiko always ended up tripping when things tried to strike at her, Malum struck her foes with a casting rod _and_ a pocket knife, both of mythril, and Haisen patched whatever wounds they might end up suffering. They arrived at the city before long - not quite as bustling as Kazus, nor as quiet as Ur, the town was strangely welcoming as they entered.

"You mentioned your family runs the inn, right?" Kyra asked Haisen, who seemed hesitant to enter.

Haisen nodded. "Yeah, about that..."

Kimiko angled her head, curious about the White Mage's hesitation. "Is something the matter?" ahe inquired, patiently waiting for the suddenly nervous boy's reply.

"Um... could you guys do me a small favour?" Haisen asked, looking around at them.

Malum crossed her arms. "This oughta be good," she mused, a smirk growing on her lips.

Haisen resisted the urge to retort. "It's nothing stupid," he insisted. "I just... Could you guys not bring up the whole 'dark' thing the Crystal was talking about?"

Kyra was caught off-guard by that. "What do you mean?" she asked. "My mother said that darkness-"

"I know it's not evil," Haisen interrupted. "Not in itself. But..." The White Mage seemed to think for a moment. "That's... not something everyone is going to get, off the bat. You know what I mean?"

As he finished speaking, a grim realization settled over the group. They couldn't go around calling themselves the Warriors of the Dark and expecting people to hail them as heroes - if hope is a light, everyone would assume their darkness could only be there to rob them of it. They had to be careful of how they spoke - one slip could have them all as prey for fanatic hunters.

"...I know what you mean," Kyra confirmed.

Kimiko gripped the sides of her gi. "It's not just here," she pointed out. "We're gonna have to do that _everywhere_."

Malum angled her head from side to side. "I'm not so sure," she mused.

Everyone shot her a look.

"...I'll keep quiet for the most part," she assured them. "We can talk about what's safe later."

Haisen sighed in relief. "Alright," he mused. "If we're all on the same page, let's go."

The inn wasn't far from the entrance to the town; when they walked in, they were surprised to see it fairly quiet. The front counter was empty, and Haisen cleared his throat awkwardly before calling out; "Hellooo?"

"Haisen? Is that you?" A female voice from upstairs prompted the others to line up behind the healer as its owner stepped down; a woman with long hair of a very dark brown, in a blue dress that trailed to the floor. As she looked over them, Haisen realized he still had the hood of his robes raised; he grabbed the top and drew it back, revealing his head of fiery red hair.

The woman - who the others assumed must have been Haisen's mother - looked surprised. "Oh my, dear, what _have_ you been up to?" She stepped forward, catching Haisen in a tight hug that the healer graciously accepted. "Where did you get proper White Mage robes?"

"It's kind of a long story," he insisted. "Where's Dad?"

"Your father is at Cid's place," his mother replied, pulling away from the hug. "We broke our stretcher after someone came in reporting a bad situation with the Berserkers. A thrown shield ended up smashing the wheels - he was lucky there was someone who could help him carry it back here."

Kyra angled her head. Kimiko had described Cid as knowing Crystal lore. Haisen's dad was visiting him for a new stretcher? What was going on? Were they even talking about the same person? All these Cids people claimed they knew gave Kyra a headache trying to figure this out logically.

Haisen coughed awkwardly, reminding himself that he was here for a reason. "Sorry, Mom, I should do introductions." He beckoned to the others, in order; "This is Kyra, that's Kimiko, and the nymph over there is Malum."

Kimiko quickly held a hand out to stop Malum from retaliating.

Though it seemed that someone else was quick to carry out Malum's original actions.

The White Mage found himself on the receiving end of a fierce smack to the back of the head. "Haisen," his mother reprimanded, "how many times do I have to tell you to watch your mouth?"

"She tried to rob King Sasune," Haisen insisted, rubbing the back of his head with quick glare at Malum. "I haven't seen much for me to respect her for!"

"I thought we were going to need some better defenses!" Malum protested. "Sue me!"

Haisen's mother sighed. "My apologies for my son's behaviour," she insisted. "My name is Mesa. I'm the proprietress of this inn. Our family's been healing people for a fair while. Haisen often visits the old cave near Sasune to practice his magic on the undead there. Come, you rest for a while. It's on the house." As the group followed her upstairs, she set a hand on her son's shoulder. "So, what's the count this time? You were gone for a good few days."

The healer chuckled as Mesa led them to the family's section of the inn. "They've started going down faster," he admitted. "Fifty-six Zombies, thirty-nine Mummies, seventy-two Skeletons..."

Malum was shocked. He must have visited the cave quite often before they got there - he certainly hadn't landed that many kills himself after they had joined up.

"...and..." Haisen lowered his gaze, mumbling, "Djinn the Fire."

The finish caused Mesa to turn at the landing, looking at her son with a curious gaze. "What was that?" she asked. "Djinn the Fire? What are you talking about?"

Haisen sighed. "A mythril ring."

Mesa's expression became one of horror. "Oh my gods," she exclaimed, looking between the four of them. "You...?"

"It's a long story..."

* * *

The four had to sit down as it took a while for them to explain what had happened. As Haisen had requested, they left out what had been said of darkness; likewise, they left out most of Amina's lecture concerning how that worked. However, there was no getting around the fact that the four of them were going to be travelling; Haisen warily admitted that he would not be around to help with the inn, something that no doubt would sadden his mother and his father.

"I'm really sorry, Mom," he insisted. "We can't just ignore this. If the Crystals need help..." Despite his insistence and determination on leaving, it was clear in his downcast eyes that there was a hidden guilt behind it; shame for leaving behind his parents.

Mesa shook her head; tears were starting to well up in her eyes, but she did her best to avoid letting them fall. "I understand," she assured him. "If this has been asked of you, I'll not stop you from going. But..." She set a hand on her son's shoulder. "Just... promise me you'll come home when you can, alright?" she insisted. "It doesn't have to be soon. But... please."

Kimiko spoke up at this point. "You don't need to worry, Mrs. Mesa," she insisted. "We'll make sure we stop by here sometime."

"Thank you..."

Haisen got to his feet, signalling to the others that they ought get going. "We need to talk to Cid before we head out," he prompted. "You think he'll be done by now?"

Mesa chuckled. "You know him," she insisted. "He could have been done before you got here, he could still be working."

Kyra was still confused; nonetheless, when Haisen started leading them out of the inn, she followed suit. She was surprised when Mesa caught her arm, and as she turned she found the inn proprietress looking at her with an intent gaze. "Kyra, was it?" she inquired. "You would be the leader of this company, correct?"

"Um... in a way, I guess you could say that," Kyra confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"Promise me that you'll stop my son from doing anything... foolish," Mesa insisted. "He's more than capable as a healer, but he often... thinks slightly more of himself than he ought. If he tries to do something above his abilities... will you get in his way?"

"Of course," Kyra assured.

A smile rose on Mesa's face. "Thank you." She released Kyra's arm, prompting the girl from Ur to rush after her allies.

The other three were waiting just outside the inn, and as the Red Mage arrived Haisen glanced around. "So... you guys wanted to talk to Cid?"

"I'm starting to get kinda confused about that," Kyra admitted, turning to Kimiko. "I thought you said Cid would know something about the Crystals?"

Kimiko sighed. "Well I... I mean, he _might_," she admitted. "Every time he came to Kazus, he'd be talking about things I'd never heard anyone else talking about. I thought the Crystals might be something he knows of."

Haisen loosed a sputtering laugh. "Cid? The Crystals? I doubt it." When the others turned to him, he started explaining; "Cid Vermillion is a _machinist_. He makes constructs to make things easier. That's why my dad went to him to get a new stretcher - he made the first one. And what's more, he specializes in _airships_. Half of which don't even get back to the ground safely."

"If they don't get back safely, how can that be his specialty?" Malum demanded.

"Because he knows better than to assume that repeated failures mean it won't work eventually," Haisen dismissed. "Point is, if you go to him looking for info on the Crystals, you're not gonna get very far."

Kyra sighed. This was going in an unpleasant direction. After a moment's contemplation, she insisted, "Well, as long as we're here, we may as well pay him a visit," she insisted. "Maybe he'll know _something_. It's all we really got."

Haisen shrugged. "Alright then, come with me."

* * *

They passed Haisen's father on the way to Cid's house - he was indeed pushing a new stretcher towards the inn, though he didn't stop longer than it took for him to greet Haisen and tease him about his companions. Kyra and Kimiko wore pretty red blushes as they started off again; Malum was just relieved that the healer hadn't got his tongue from his father.

Cid's place seemed kind of empty as they stepped inside. "You sure we should just walk in?" Kimiko asked.

"I've helped Cid a good number of times," Haisen insisted. "He won't mind. If he's not around here, he'll probably be working in the hangar." A small smile that had adorned his face fell slightly. "I should probably warn you; Cid might have the cunning of Icen and a mind like Spark, but he's also got the temper of Heatra."

Kyra bit her lip. "Wonderful."

"I don't know what that means," Kimiko admitted.

"Same here," Malum agreed.

Haisen rolled his eyes. "You'll see what I mean. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

The hangar Haisen had mentioned in question was a separate building a little north of town, with a small door and a very _strange_-looking roof. Haisen led them inside, whereupon they found a massive structure that looked like a sailing ship - except the bottom of the structure looked almost flat, and where the sails should have been was an array of _propellers_. There was a pair of legs adorned in silvery-blue pants sticking out from under the ship, and Haisen beckoned for them to follow them up.

Kyra opened her mouth to talk.

There was a clang that prompted her to pull back, and from beneath the airship emerged a fierce cry of pain and a sequence of very foul language. Kimiko pulled away, and Malum had to put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing; Kyra turned to Haisen, who only shrugged as though to say 'I told you so'.

"Good gods, that stings!" the voice concluded, sliding out from under the ship on what looked like a rolling board.

The sight of him caught Kyra off-guard. A thin face, neatly combed black hair, and a pair of dark eyes - this was the same man she had seen in Kazus' tavern, just before she had first collided with Kimiko. He had one hand clenched in the other, and as he rose to a sitting position he glanced at the mages and monk, confused until he took a good look at their faces.

"Haisen, is that you?" he asked, pushing himself to his feet. "Your dad was just at my place."

"Yeah, I passed him on my way there," the healer admitted. "Cid, these girls were looking for you."

Cid looked over the girls, recognizing the monk. He raised an eyebrow as he eyed her, his curiosity sparking up. "Hey, you're that dojikko who works at the tavern in Kazus, aren't you?" he mused. "Kimiko, right?"

Kimiko looked awkward. She bridled slightly under Cid's gaze as he seemed to recognise her. "I... um... I used to," she admitted. "I kind of... quit..."

Yet before Kimiko's sentence could be properly heard, the thief stepped up further forward past Kimiko. "What did you just call her?" Malum demanded.

"It just means klutzy," Cid insisted, grimacing slightly as he glanced to the hand that had suffered misfortune. Looking to the Black and Red Mage, he asked, "You two would be...?"

"I'm Malum," the bandit replied, and nudged her head towards the Ur girl. "This is Kyra."

Cid looked over them. "Alright, then," he mused. "So, what do you girls need? Weapon customs? Repairs for something? An airship?"

Haisen scoffed. "I wouldn't trust your airships if my life depended on it," he protested. "I'm surprised the Wheel has survived this many crashes."

"I don't take the Wheel _onboard_ when I run the test flights!" Cid argued. "And besides, I'm just trying to make it better. I _can_ make a working airship." His proclamation caused another scoff to escape Haisen's lips.

"Maybe when Hyper gets pissed off," Haisen countered.

Kyra stepped forward, just as the two were about to get into a heated debate. "We're not here for your machina," she insisted, causing Cid to turn around. "We were wondering if you know anything about... the Crystals."

Cid looked surprised. His curiosity seemed to have been re-sparked. "Oh, so you're Warriors, are you?"

Haisen turned to him, eyes widened slightly. Just to confirm what he heard, he asked, "Wait, you _do_ know Crystals?"

"Of course I know Crystals!" Cid insisted, looking to the boy as if he had asked one of the most thoughtless questions in Canaan. "You didn't think the 'perpetual engine' ran on _steam_, did you?"

"Anyways," Kyra interrupted yet again, "we..."

Cid clicked his tongue. "That explains all your gear," he mused. "Come with me, I'll tell you what I know."

* * *

The machinist led them back to his home, whereupon he tugged at a candle behind a bed. This opened a _passage_ in the wall, which Cid stepped into; when he came back, he was holding a black figure covered in what looked like necrous purple gems. They seemed to emerge in the most random directions (though one surface of the box was unadorned), and each of them was constantly _turning_.

"What is that?" Kimiko asked.

"This is the Wheel of Time," Cid informed him, "also called the 'perpetual engine'. If you don't want an airship that's as vulnerable to the wind as a sea vessel, you need this. And I have no idea how you'd get one off the ground even if you did. It's a gift of the Crystals, and it's been around for almost as long as they have." He set the box on the table, looking around at the group. "So, what do you want to know?"

"There are four Crystals," Kyra mused, remembering what Amina had told her about Crystal legends in the past. "The Wind Crystal north of Ur is the one that chose us. It said there's something threatening them." Her gaze was on the Wheel of Time on the table as she spoke. "It said... the light has begun to swell in this world."

Malum spun around. "Kyra, we said-"

"And it chose us to carry the light that hides in the shadows," Kyra continued, raising her voice just slightly to overcome Malum's, "and stop the equilibrium from being shattered."

"Kyra," Haisen hissed, "what are you-?"

"We're the Warriors of the Dark."

Her conclusion carried thunder in her voice; her gaze went up to Cid, who had a curious look on his face as she locked gazes with him.

"And we're going to keep this world safe."

A smirk rose on Cid's face. "That's a challenge on your voice, Kyra," he mused. "If I might ask... why would you assume I have something against you four?"

"Light is the form given to hope," Kyra recited, remembering her mother's words. "Therefore, darkness is seen to rob you of that hope."

"Old notions that clearly need to change," Cid mused. "If a Crystal picked you, I trust the judgement of the Crystals. And I'm not going to make any attempt to stop you from going to their aid."

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I can't say I know much about the Water or Earth Crystals," he admitted. "But the Fire Crystal is a lot closer than you probably think. You don't even have to leave this continent."

Kimiko seemed surprised. "Where is it?"

"The dwarves in the northwest watch over the Tower of Ice that holds the Crystal," Cid explained. "You're gonna have to find someone that can give you a ship if you want to get there, but as long as you know where you're going, it doesn't matter where you have to go first."

Malum snickered. "So, can _you_ give us a ship?" she asked.

"Haisen thinks before he talks trash," Cid mused. "I'm still working on keeping it in the air - I haven't even got to the first designs for landing."

Kyra sighed, getting to her feet. "Thank you for helping us, Cid," she insisted. "We'd best be off."

* * *

A magic shop in Canaan provided some proper spells for the group's casters - the toxic-dispelling Poisona for Haisen, a Cure spell for Kyra, debilitating Sleep, Blind, and Poison spells for Malum, and elemental Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells for both the Black Mage and the Red Mage. They stopped by the weapons store, only to find largely the same selection as in Kazus; Kimiko was slightly disappointed to find there were still no fighting knuckles, which meant she would have to rely on her bare hands.

"Don't let it get you down too much," Malum assured the Monk. "That's not the kind of thing that gets mass-produced. Too easily hidden."

Kimiko sighed. "I guess you're right," she admitted.

Kyra glanced around. "Well, guys?" she prompted. "Where do we head next?"

Malum clicked her tongue for a moment. "Could we stop by Dragon's Peak?" she asked. "It's a small mountain just east of here."

"What in the world is on Dragon's Peak that would make you want to go there?" Haisen inquired.

"Oh, I'm not sure," Malum mused sarcastically, "maybe _everyone I know_."

That caught _everybody_ off-guard.

The Black Mage snickered. "What, is that so surprising?" she asked. "I grew up over there."

"You grew up on Dragon's Peak," Haisen demanded.

"Yeah."

"A mountain filled will _avian monsters_."

"Uh-huh."

"Named because they say it's frequented by_ dragons the size of_ _castles_.

"That about sums it up."

Haisen had a look of pure shock on his face. "How the hell did you _survive_?" he demanded.

Malum sighed. "Can we just stop by there?" she insisted. "I promise we won't stay for long."

Kimiko spoke up at this point. "We should be fine," she pointed out. "We can defend ourselves."

"I swear to Catastro," Haisen snapped, "if this is a trap of some sort and you're gonna rob us all blind-"

"We're Warriors of the Crystals!" Malum protested. "I'm not gonna rob you guys! We gotta work together!"

Kyra spoke up. "We don't have a solid lead at this point," she insisted. "It won't hurt to stop by Dragon's Peak. Kimiko's right, we can defend ourselves-"

"...Kimi."

The Monk's voice caused Kyra to break off, turning to the former waitress. "Sorry, what was that?" she asked.

The others turned to her, and Kimiko blushed lightly. "I... Call me Kimi," she insisted. "It's what my friends used to call me, when I was little." Her voice fell quieter as she added, "Back when I _had_ friends..."

Malum smiled. "Kimi, then," she mused. "We can do that."

Haisen chuckled. "Of course we can."

Kyra glanced between them. "Alright, then," she mused. "Off to Dragon's Peak."

* * *

Malum offered to lead the group to the mountain, though she ended up falling back when the monsters showed up - not for her own desire, but at Haisen's insistence now that she had magic. The Black Mage loved throwing Fire spells at everything that came near, a sharp contrast to Kyra's choice to stick with casting Blizzard.

Halfway through the trip, Kyra stepped up to Malum. "How _did_ you grow up on Dragon's Peak?" she asked.

"Pretty much the same way you grew up in Ur," the thief replied. "That's who was looking after me."

"Who was looking after you that could fight off monsters, the way Haisen was talking about them?" Kyra demanded.

Malum put on an expression of false surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry," she mused. "Did you think I ran away from home to snatch your crystals?"

The question caused Kyra to reach for her crystal necklace, half expecting the Black Mage to have stolen it again. It was still there, and Malum only laughed, setting a hand on the Red Mage's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna take your stuff," she insisted. "But yeah, I grew up with a bunch of sneaks."

"A family of bandits," the Ur girl mused. "_Wonderful_."

"Well... I wouldn't say 'family'," Malum admitted. "It's really more of, um..."

She seemed to have trouble finding the right word. Kyra tried to guess. "A gang?"

Malum thought on it for a short beat. "Ah... no," she insisted, "calling it a 'gang' makes it sound violent. We usually try to avoid fights when we can. Plus," she added, "we're not really that close-knit. Some of us don't know each other much beyond name. I guess you could call it..."

"A community," Kyra offered. Upon receiving Malum's gaze again, she elaborated; "Like a village, except you're not really bound to one place."

"Yeah," Malum agreed. "We're not as mobile as you might think, but yeah, that works."

Kyra didn't find herself all the more eager to meet them; carefully, she slipped her crystal necklace under the collar of her Red Mage jacket, so it wasn't plainly visible.

* * *

It was later than they had hoped when they got to Dragon's Peak, but Malum insisted they would be able to stay the night safely. The mountain wasn't all that welcoming - there were several birds flapping around the top of the mountain in flocks large enough to be easily visible from the base - but Malum simply led them to the western side of the mountain, where a small cave waited.

The Black Mage drew off her headwear, turning to the others. "Who wants to hold my hat?"

Kimiko stepped forward, taking the hat by the brim as Malum turned back to the cave, warning them to wait here; slowly she reached into the pocket of her robes, drawing out her sheathed mythril knife. Once she was within five paces of the cave entrance, someone shot out; she quickly drew the knife from its sheath and raised it, catching an opposing knife on its blade.

The other knife belonged to a guy with messy blonde hair, in dark garments not unlike those Malum had initially worn; after a moment, he pulled back, surprised. "Malum!"

"Hey, Brett," Malum greeted. "How's things happening?"

The guy, Brett, pulled away and scoffed, sheathing his knife. "Boss has been on my ass. Where have you been? And who're your friends?"

"Red jacket is Kyra, from Ur," Malum introduced. "The pretentious white robes are on Haisen from Canaan, and the Monk is Kimiko from Kazus."

Haisen glanced down at himself. "Do white robes really look that pretentious?" he asked Kyra.

"No," the Red Mage reassured him.

Malum beckoned them forward, and Kimiko approached first. "Um, Malum said that this was where her friends were," she mused, handing Malum the hat in her hands. "Apparently there's somewhere to stay, here?"

"No issue at all," Brett assured them. "A friend of Malum is a friend of ours. Come on in," he added, turning, "We can-"

He was interrupted when Kimiko set the flat of her knife against his back - she had yet to sheathe the weapon. "First things first, Brett," she insisted. "You go on ahead, tell everyone I got friends, and none of you touch their stuff. If any of them report something's been stolen, I'm gonna be on all of your asses."

Brett breathed heavily. "Good gods," he protested. "What's gotten into you? Last time you brought someone here, you took a whole vial of the boss' sleep syrup to her tea and left her with hardly her-"

"_Just tell everyone!_" Malum protested, a fierce glare on her face that was severely mitigated by the crimson blush surrounding it. Brett took off ahead of them, and she sheathed her knife and drove it into her pocket. The hat was set on her head, and she turned up her collar - with the sun having set, her face was invisible in the shadows of her headwear - before turning to the other three Warriors. Kyra had a similar blush on her face, Haisen was trying not to laugh, and Kimiko looked concerned.

"Come on," she insisted, "stay close to me."

Haisen snickered. "You're _sure_ you're definitely a girl?" he asked again, this time with much more joy on his voice.

Malum turned away. "Don't tell me you're one of those bigoted jerks who's got a problem with that," she muttered.

* * *

"A Warrior of the Dark, chosen by the crystals!"

The layout of the cave was such that Kyra could have convinced herself it was a building, if it wasn't a _cave_. She made a mental note to sort out that thought strand later - right now, she was in a deep section of cavern lit by several torches, before a man perched on a throne made from _gold coins_. Kyra was afraid it would collapse if he so much as pounded the arm in irritation, yet he seemed comfortable enough in its stability to lean back on it - he had slightly darker skin than Malum did, hair that was almost snowy white, and eyes of bright blue. Malum, Kyra, Kimi, and Haisen were all sitting before him, and Brett was sitting to one side.

Malum had introduced the others, and explained what was going on. She had not bothered to hide the point of darkness - justified, given the community of bandits - and the boss seemed more than happy to hear it. "Well, that's wonderful to hear, Malum!" he cheered. "I imagine you'll be gone for quite a while, won't you?"

"Yes, sir." With her active fingers and derisive behaviour, it felt kind of strange to hear her address someone as 'sir' in a genuine tone. "That's why I thought I ought pay you a visit, make sure you're aware of this. I didn't want you punishing Brett because I didn't come back after he briefed me."

"A little late for that," Brett protested.

The boss didn't seem to hear, leaning forward. "Well, it's wonderful to meet you all," he told the other Warriors. "I am Itazura, the leader of these people on Dragon's Peak. If you are Malum's compatriots, I will welcome you with _genuine_ hospitality. I imagine you must all be tired."

"A little weary," Kyra admitted, "but not really... ready to sleep."

"Agreed," Kimi and Haisen confirmed at once.

Itazura grinned. "If you will partake in the Dragon's Caves, I will be the last to stop you. Brett has already warned everyone that you are our _guests_, so please, enjoy yourselves."

Malum got to her feet with an eager haste, turning to the others. "Come on, guys," she invited. "You've gotta see this place."

"You're frighteningly eager," Haisen protested, rising only after the others had done so.

"I can't help it," Malum insisted, "you're the first guys I've brought here who actually get to enjoy this place."

As she led the others through the cave, Kimi approached her. "Um, Malum?" she asked. "That Brett guy..."

Malum turned to her. "What about him?"

"Is he..." Kimi seemed to trip over her words. "Are you and him..."

The Black Mage managed to sort out what she wanted to say, and with a snicker, turned back around. "Don't say that around Doane," she mused.

Kyra angled her head. "Who's Doane?"

"His boyfriend."

There was a nasty pair of _thuds_ that caused Kimi and Malum to start, turning round; Kyra and Haisen had hit the ground pretty abruptly. Malum snickered lightly as Haisen looked up at Malum, then back through the cave they had just come from, then back to Malum as he aimed a hand back. "He... he...!"

Malum set her hands on her hips, a glare on her face. "He what?"

"He's a _badass!_" Haisen insisted.

"Are you telling me he _has_ to be a flamboyant pretty-boy?" Malum demanded.

"It's not that," Kyra protested, getting to her feet. "There's _nothing_ about him that even _implies_..."

Malum shook her head. "That's because with this kind of work, you have to make an _effort_ if you want to give off that kind of aura. You should see Sloan."

Haisen groaned. "Is _he_-?"

"Decidedly _not_," Malum insisted. "But he _is_ about as camp as a six-man tent. Makes the guys think he's weak, makes the girls think he's friendly. If there's someone we can't get at, we send Sloan."

"You people are _evil_," Haisen grumbled, getting to his feet.

Kimiko hadn't said anything; Malum noticed, turning to her. "Something wrong?"

"It's nothing," Kimi insisted. "You were taking us somewhere?"

"Right," Malum remembered. "You guys gotta see the dance floor."

* * *

"_Kimi ga shuyaku no Crazy nighT!  
Wain katate ni share kon de  
Hodo yoku yoi ga mawattara  
Tanoshiku natte kichatta?_"

The 'dance floor', as Malum had called it, was a section of cave that put Djinn's battlefield to shame for size alone. There were six musicians and eight vocalists playing at the far end on a raised stage, and along the opposite wall was a bar of sorts; a sequence of tables lines a wall between them, leaving the last one to hold the entrance.

"_Utae, odore, sawag__ō ze  
Sui mo amai mo wasure tesa  
Ki ga kuru~cchau hodo ni  
Tanoshin jae Happy nighT!_"

Malum, Kimiko, and Haisen were all dancing; Kyra was sitting at a table with a glass of Raiden Cola, a half-empty bottle sitting next to her. As the music continued, the three of them found her table, sitting down around it. "You're missing out!" Kimi insisted.

"How you managed to dance for so long without knocking everyone over I'll never know," Kyra chuckled.

Kimi blushed lightly. "All that trouble goes away when I start dancing," she insisted. "I don't know what it's about."

Haisen turned. "You missing anything?" he asked the Red Mage.

Kyra reached for the collar of her jacket, feeling her crystal necklace still beneath it. "I'm good."

"You all better be good," Malum insisted. "Brett said he told _everyone_ that you're not marks."

"Just checking," Haisen insisted. "Doesn't hurt to be sure."

Kyra only raised her glass to her lips, taking a long draught. Malum seemed to notice she wasn't quite herself; with a concerned tone, she asked, "Hey, something wrong?"

"I owe you an apology."

The Ur girl's words from around her glass caught the bandit off-guard. "What?" she asked. "What are you talking about? What for?"

Kyra sighed, setting the glass down and turning to face Malum straight. "When you mentioned a community of bandits," she insisted, "I... I assumed it was going to be this... this gathering of _brutes_. I thought everyone was gonna be like Kimi's boss. But this place... it almost feels like Ur. There's no huge guard, everyone is friendly, the whole place just feels..."

She trailed off for a moment, and Malum realized what she was saying. "Homey."

"...Yeah."

* * *

As the night trailed to a close, Malum led her fellow Warriors to the guest rooms - a sequence of smaller caves with a single bed in each one. Haisen was quick to bid the others goodnight and head into the nearest one, stopping only long enough for Malum to show him how to mark it as occupied. Kimi turned to Malum and asked, "How do you make sure you don't sleep until noon around here?"

"We keep one guard at the east entrance," Malum explained, "and one at the entrance from the trail - to make sure monsters don't barge in. Ask for an hour to be woken, and whoever comes in at that hour will wake you up. I usually get up around nine-ish, that okay with you guys?"

"Yeah," Kimi insisted. "Thanks. Goodnight."

"'Night," Malum bid, watching as she set up the 'occupied' sign and made her way in.

Kyra turned to her. "You know something?" she mused. "I kinda like this place."

Malum smirked. "Maybe as a guest," she admitted, "but you're not fit to be here proper."

The Ur girl crossed her arms, confrontingly.

The bandit hummed, setting a hand on her chin, before pointing at Kyra.

"You approach a man who keeps himself hidden in the shadows," she confronted. "Do you assume he is powerful, and strike him down in case he tries to do the same to you, or do you assume he is weak, and rob him blind because you feel he cannot harm you?"

Kyra stepped back in horror. "There is no force in this world _or_ the next that could _possibly_ make me answer that question," she protested.

Malum only laughed. "If you can't answer that question," she insisted, "you could never think like one of us."

"Do I look like a bandit to you?" Kyra demanded.

"Goodnight, Kyra," Malum insisted, taking one of the guest rooms.

Kyra opened her mouth to protest, but only scoffed irritably, lashing one hand dismissively and taking another room. The bed was comfortable, and she was asleep in moments, her thoughts on the people her fellow Warriors had introduced to her today.

She was awoken by a cry for help.

* * *

Arca: A cry for help you say?! *puts on cape, running to Draco* I'll save you!

Draco: {already wearing cape} Any cries from me were cries of success! The lily bomb is primed, and the rose gunner has fired the first shot!

Arca: Prepare for battle! *goes to reach for plush sword* ...of all the things I've forgot to pack...

Draco: I shan't leave you unarmed! {hands you sword, left with only shield}

Arca: Well... We could have been in a worst predicament, right?

Draco: {turns to readers} Leave a review if you enjoyed, we shall respond when we can!


	8. Phoenix Flight

Arca: *flings open chest, and gets in head deep to look for something* DRACO. MY CONTROLLER. I NEED IT.

Draco: {bursts into room with Dualshock 2, 3, and 4 controllers, three Wii Remotes, and a SNES controller} WHAT CONTROLLER? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

Arca: AN XBOX CONTROLLER! IT STICKS INTO THIS TO ALLOW ME TO PLAY EVERYTHING ON STEAM. *points to USB port*

Draco: {throws hands (and controllers) in air} Good! Goddess! Etro! {controllers fall on head, SNES cord catches on neck} The ONE army in this console war I don't sympathize with. {storms out}

Arca: ...Microsoft only supports XBOX controllers for my laptop though... *grabs it* ...oh, yes, Chapter 8! I can't even play Type-0 yet. *drops controller* Anyway, Chapter 8 is now up and running! We hope you enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Kyra's door swung open, hitting the cave wall, and the jet-black haired girl dashed out, sword and shield in hand. Donned in her Red Mage garb, she was ready to assist whoever cried out for her help. Out the other doors came her comrades, seemingly less prepared than what she was.

Kimiko stood clutching at the door, her hair a tangle of knots, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Is it nine already…?" She asked the others in a groggy tone, soon leaning against the door for some support in her daze.

"Shush!" Haisen hissed, holding up a hand and waving it at Kimi, hoping to silence the girl for a few moments. Another cry for help echoed throughout the hideout, and the White Mage looked to the three girls. "You just heard what I heard, right?"

"Right," Malum quickly replied, spinning on her heel and rushing back into her room. Kyra, Kimi, and Haisen stood looking to one another. After a few moments, Kyra let out a groan of annoyance.

"That's a sign to go get your gear!" Kyra explained, ushering the two back into their rooms. The cries for help continued, and Kyra could only stare ahead to the path towards the source. She began her run up the path, shouting back, "I'll meet you guys up there!"

The Ur girl followed the cries right to the entrance from the trail, and she stopped dead, among a few others who had also heard the cries, to what lay in front of their eyes. A flock of giant bird-like predators, the feathers of their four wings tainted with the colours of a sunrise in winter, clawed and pecked at one of the hideout's inhabitants as he attempted to flee into the caves.

Kyra was quick to jump to action. She found herself running to the birds, brandishing her sword and swinging it at them. "Shoo! Away with you!" she shouted, trying to drive the birds away from the man. Though she did manage to dissuade them from following the bandit on guard, they instead took her as a more suitable target. Seeing one aim its beak at her in an attempt to lunge, the Red Mage held up her shield in defence, the beak hitting the shield. No sooner had she prepare her word to fight back against the other birds than they suddenly fled from the entrance of the cave.

Approaching footsteps caught her ears, and turned to find her comrades running towards her. As Haisen ran to the man who had faced the wrath of these birds, Malum approached Kyra. "You alright?"

"Just about..." she muttered, looking over to Haisen as sparkles of light flew from his fingertips to the victim of the attack. Just as he was about to finish healing the man, a group of young women had appeared, insisting they would take care of the man. Haisen was rather surprised that the squad was entirely filled with girls. As they helped the man up and away to another section of the cave, Haisen stood up, folding his arms as he looked to Malum.

Malum just scoffed, rubbing her nose. "Told you healing was a girl's job." She almost took joy in Haisen's reaction of flared nostrils, and was waiting for him to throw himself at her when Kimiko had interrupted it with a tone of soft realization.

"We're going to have to do something about these things..." she started, looking upward - where a few of the birds had already began to circle Dragon's Peak.

"Kimi's right," Kyra stepped in, her too looking out at the entrance. "We need to find the source of this bird infestation."

Malum nodded, and weapons gripped in hand, she walked to the entrance, and looking back with a grin, shouted, "What are we waiting for then?"

Their trek up the mountain was not particularly unkind; the monsters on the way there, more so. The Rust Birds that had attacked the guard were in abundance, accompanied often enough by Fireflies - a disturbingly polite name, for they looked more akin to manta rays. There were also Helldiver eagles that swooped fiercely and suddenly, and great Rukh with mighty blows in both their wings and their beaks.

All the avian opponents attempting to peck them apart meant there was no choice for Malum but to fall back; as much as she wanted to fight up close with mythril rod and knife, Haisen insisted she stay at a distance, remain on the defensive, and only cast when necessary (for whatever the cause of the birds' aggression, it would doubtless require as much magic as possible). Kyra and Kimi dealt with most of the monsters, and the four of them were arriving at the peak before long.

Flying about the highest area the path could reach were four great, avian figures. Each of them was possessed of four wings, similar to the Rust Birds fought on the way up; these birds were larger, however, and their feathers adorned in rainbow hues. Every flap of the wings cast hot air forward - despite the air here being significantly cooler than normal - and as the four Warriors of the Dark arrived, the birds turned to them, flying in place as though anticipating them.

Kyra took one look at the birds and almost screamed.

Kimiko noticed. "Kyra?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Those... those are Phoenix!" she exclaimed.

"Phoenix?" Malum demanded.

"Firebirds," the Red Mage explained, panicking. "Avian creatures, born whenever a volcano erupts... My mother would tell me stories about these things! They're supposed to be extinct! We don't stand a chance!"

Haisen braced his staff before him as the birds started to approach. "We have to try!"

Malum drew her knife and casting rod. "Oh, no you don't!" she snapped at the creatures. "You stay away from my home!"

Kimi raised her hands and closed them into fists. "We won't let you hurt these people!"

The approaching Phoenix were nearly upon the ridge by now, and Kyra raised her shield before her - despite KNOWING that there was no way it would guard her from attacks with the power possessed in such legendary creatures.

When no such attacks came, she warily peeked over the top ridge of the battle plate.

The firebirds were perched on the stone before them, wings folded, and were each peering at one of the Warriors curiously. They took no action to attack any of them, even as Kimiko warily approached them - still in her fist-fighting stance, but lowering her hands just slightly with every step. "Kyra," the Monk called, "they're... they're not attacking us."

"No, they're not." Kyra's voice was quiet, for her breath was still tight in fear.

Haisen lowered his casting tool. "I... I think... I've heard of these things," he admitted. "Rainbow-feathered birds... they're supposed to be guides sent by the Crystals."

At that moment, a shout of "There they are!" drew Malum's attention, and the Black Mage turned on her heel to see a group of men with short swords approaching the top. Half a second passed as she considered trusting the White Mage's words; then she rushed forward, throwing her hands out at her sides to bar their way. "Stop!"

The bandits came to a halt. The leader, a guy with cool blue hair, stepped forward. "Malum, what are you doing?"

"Doane, stay back," Malum insisted. "These things aren't attacking anyone. These birds aren't attacking anyone. I think their arrival just upset everything else. I think... I think they want to help us."

The guy, Doane, raised an eyebrow. "Help us?"

"The Warriors of the Dark," Malum elaborated. "Please, just... Hold on."

She glanced back over her shoulder. Kimi had one hand on the beak of the Phoenix which had been looking at her; Haisen was warily starting to approach the firebirds as well. Kyra had sheathed her sword, but kept one hand on the grip and her shield on her other arm - her mother's stories had clearly not set these things in a kind light.

Doane sighed, setting one hand on his forehead as he and the rest of the bandits all sheathed their swords. "Well, whatever," he insisted. "We're not just here for the birds, anyways. We got something for you guys - thought they might make things easier on you."

Haisen turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

In response, Doane raised one hand at his side and clapped his hands.

Two bandits stepped forward - both of them smacking his head as they passed him. Haisen and Kimi both stepped away from the Phoenix as the men approached - one was holding a scroll, the other a box of sorts.

"What're these?" Haisen inquired.

"This," the man with the scroll explained, holding it out to the White Mage, "is for Aero magic. Allow you a little more self-defense when your friends can't back you up. Most of our healers have the spell - this was our last spare, but it'll do you more good than us."

"And from what I understand," the man with the box added, turning to Kimiko, "you are presently unarmed - and would rather remedy that as soon as possible."

Kimiko glanced at her hands. "Well... yes," she admitted.

The man smiled, popping the lid off. "Well, here," he prompted, pulling the lid away and holding the box out, "take a look at this."

Sitting inside were a pair of identical bronze figures - four loops forged tight together, linked to an arc too small to be a handle. Confusion was present on Kimi's face for the briefest of moments; then she realized what these were, and raised her gaze to the man with the box. "Wait, are these-?"

"Bronze knuckles," Malum confirmed, prompting Kimi to step back suddenly - the Black Mage had snuck up on her out of nowhere. "These'll make your fights a little easier. You don't exactly want to be wearing them all the time," she admitted, "but try 'em on."

Kimi picked them up, sliding her fingers into the loops; the arc below set between palm and fingers of a closed fist, and though the knuckles didn't obstruct the movement of her fingers enough to stop her from equipping the other, she agreed with Malum's notion to not where them during normal fighting. "That feels so weird on my hands," she admitted.

Malum nodded. "It doesn't really change your fighting style," she admitted, "it just makes it tougher." She set her hand on the rings around her fist. "Puts more of the hit in one place and makes it all stronger." Then she set her hand over Kimi's fingers, brushing the edge of the grip. "And this puts the hit in your hand instead of on your fingers, so you don't get hurt as much."

"I guess that makes sense." Kimiko quickly took the knuckles off her hands and slipped them into her pockets.

The bandits had retreated back into the group, and Doane was looking over the Phoenix gathered there. "So, what," he mused, "are these things gonna ask you to ride on them?"

"I don't think so," Haisen admitted, pocketing the scroll - which was already sparking with enough magic to indicate that he had drawn the spell off of it. "Phoenix are more-"

"It nodded."

Everyone turned to Kyra, who still had her eyes on the firebirds. "What?" Haisen asked.

"The one Kimi was touching," Kyra explained. "It nodded when he mentioned riding."

The other three Warriors followed her gaze. "Is that true?" Haisen asked. "You want us to ride on you guys?"

Another bird nodded.

Doane chuckled slightly. "So, they understand us," he mused, scratching the back of his head. "Awkward."

Malum glanced around. "When you guys leave," she asked, "are the monsters around here going to go back to normal?"

A third Phoenix nodded its head.

Kimi nodded. "Then, what are we waiting for?" she prompted.

"Alright," Doane mused, "I'm gonna go tell the boss the situation with you guys. Best of luck!"

* * *

Kyra was very hesitant about riding a Phoenix.

That did not change when they got off the ground.

Four was a small flock for most birds, but Amina's stories told that a fury of Phoenix often numbered less than seven, and were just as deadly to their prey as any murder of crows. The firebirds were warm to the touch, and though they did not fly with any exceptional speed, they still moved faster than ever they could possibly travel on foot - which meant a single false move could send her plummeting to a painful death, and the Phoenix would be too far away before any of them noticed she was gone.

Malum was loving the ride; she clung to her Phoenix with only the grip of her legs, her hands thrown in the air as she gave a joyous cry. Kimiko didn't dare take her hands off her firebird, but her riding technique otherwise differed little from Malum's. Haisen - calm, composed healer Haisen - was reclining on the back of his bird, his hands behind his head and his legs crossed.

Their birds were flying in that order - which meant that Kyra saw the danger ahead of them sooner than anyone else did.

"Guys," she called, hoping they would hear her, "we've got company!"

The Black Mage a groan, lowering her hands to grip her ride as she saw the aerie of eagles approaching. "Screw me, it's more Helldivers," she complained.

Haisen turned on his Phoenix so as to ensure he did not fall off. "We're gonna need to break off," he mused. "If they try and dive us while we're in line like this- whoa!"

The firebirds had heard him; the four of them flew apart, rearranging into a lined-up formation - Kyra and Kimi's birds were slightly ahead of Malum and Haisen's, but none of them were directly behind anyone else. The flock was huge, and as the attacking birds approached, the Phoenix all took different actions - Kyra's went up, Haisen's went down, Kimi's went to the side, and Malum's did a barrel-roll. The attempted strikes missed the firebirds - save for one Helldiver unlucky enough to collide with Malum's bird, which found itself tumbling away with its feather's singed.

The bandit had a curious idea. I wonder…

She quickly grabbed her mythril rod as he Phoenix levelled out; another Helldiver was rushing for her, and she quickly raised her rod towards it.

"Fire!"

A flame surged from the tip of her rod and collided with the Helldiver's beak - and proceeded to continue through the body, leaving nothing but a pair of singed wings that fell to the ground.

Everyone saw as their birds levelled out again. "What was that?!" Kimi shouted.

"It's our speed," Haisen called. "A flame moving at this speed that doesn't get put out would vaporize flesh in an instant!"

Malum grinned. "Stay out of the way!" she warned, trying not to laugh as she raised her staff again. "F-F-Fire! Fire! FIIIIIRRRE!" Blazes flew from her staff in rapid succession, soaring towards the attacking eagles and tearing them apart on contact. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kyra's bird starting to fly towards her, but she reasoned it was simply evading an attack - she couldn't exactly burn everything.

That is, until a shard of ice appeared ahead of her, moving at almost exactly the speed she was - just ever-so-slightly faster - and impaled itself on a Helldiver she had meant to burn. The eagle was speared by the frost and fell earthward, and Malum raised her gaze to see Kyra with her shield strapped to her arm. Why she elected to cast through her shield was another question - although Malum reasoned it had something to do with the instability she had shown at takeoff - but nonetheless, she was calling Blizzard magic just in front of her, its speed matched to her bird's until it connected with the Helldivers.

"Show-off!" Malum protested.

And their flight continued like this - the mages striking down their opponents with flame and frost as they flew southerly.

* * *

Getting back onto the ground proved a tad difficult for all of them after flying for so long. Their legs had numbed during the flight south, and they ended up waddling once they got back onto the ground once again to retain the feeling.

Though, first, they had to thank their new-found friends for transporting them from Dragon's Peak.

Kyra approached the Phoenix she rode, and cautiously pat the top of its rainbow tainted head, to which the larger bird happily accepted as her thanks. The Red Mage smiled a little, seeing the bird enjoying this gesture. "You know," she murmured, "you're not as bad as everyone makes you out to be... as I made you out to be..." she added, ashamed for having been quick to judge these creatures. The Phoenix slowly cocked its head and gazed at the girl, who slowly looked back. There was a gentle comfort in the bird's eyes, something that legends rarely had taken note of, and for a few moments, another side of this beautiful creature had been shown.

The Phoenix soon stepped away from Kyra, the girl's hands slipping from the firebird's head. As the girl glanced over to the other Phoenix, they too seemed to have backed off from her comrades. Suddenly, the Phoenix that had been transporting Kyra outstretched its wings - the feathers shining in their glorious rainbow hue - before it lifted a few feet up into the air, above the comrades. The other creatures had copied the first Phoenix's first gesture. Only a few moments later, Kyra and the creature exchanged nods, before it was the first to take off into the air, screeching through the sky as its own companions followed.

Kimi just let a huge grin take over, and stood on her toes as she waved the birds off, shouting fond goodbyes and thanks to the birds. Haisen just chuckled to himself, having not expected to ever see such a creature, never mind ride them. Malum, however, folded her arms, staring over to Kyra, who watched the creatures fly away with grace. She let a smile creep on her face, seeing how she managed to get over the sudden fear of dire creatures her mother had told her all about. Soon, that smile disappeared quickly as Kyra had turned to them, glancing around them.

"So, where do we go from here?"

Malum took to doing what Kyra was doing, and soon noticed a small entrance leading into a cavern not too far from where the Phoenix had left them off. She pointed to it. "We could go through there," she stated, and without awaiting answers from her comrades, she started walking towards the entrance. Kyra for one hadn't questioned Malum's decision, and followed the group, only looking to progress from here. Haisen quickly followed behind, trying to advise her not to rush into this cavern, and Kimi followed along, stumbling over loose pieces of earth along the way.

However, silence among the group hadn't lasted for too long.

"You two should vary your spells more often." Haisen perked up, looking to both the Black and Red Mages. The girls only glanced back to at their healer.

"What?"

Haisen sighed - he should have known he'd have to explain. He pointed to Malum. "You keep using Fire magic. And you," he added, turning to Kyra, who jerked back slightly at the sight of the protruding finger. "You only ever use Blizzard spells. Just because those are the ones your job classes are symbolized with doesn't mean you should neglect the others."

Kyra raised an eyebrow, still none the wiser from Haisen's words. "But... it's working fine," she argued, to which Malum jumped in and nodded vigorously, inputting her voice of opinion.

"Yeah, we're not getting any trouble with this. Give me one good reason why we should 'vary our spells more often'." The thief's imitation of Haisen was astonishingly high-pitched.

"EIMMA."

Haisen's single-word reply only furrowed the others' brows. "Eye-ma?" Malum protested. "What the hell?"

"Elemental-Induced Muscle Memory Arcana." Haisen explained, quite enjoying the puzzled expressions he was getting from the girls. "It's a symptom of excess favouritism when it comes to elemental magic. When you're casting, you can feel a sort of feedback, right? Fire makes your palms warm, Blizzard makes your fingertips cold, Thunder puts your hairs on end?" He paused for effect, waiting for the girls to reply in some manner. The two mages nodded slowly in understanding, and then he continued.

"That feedback affects your muscle memory. If you cast spells of the same element too often, your body becomes accustomed to that specific feedback." Haisen realised that he had Kyra and Malum's full attention, even Kimi's, even if it didn't even apply to her. He had to say... he quite liked the attention. "It's particularly bad with Fire and Blizzard, since they're opposing elements - it can get to the point where your body actually registers casting feedback from the opposite element as an attack, and automatically diverts the flow of magic to the other element in retaliation. If you try and force the one you haven't been using, it can actually harm your body."

Kyra blinked at Haisen's explanation, stunned. "It... It can really get that bad?" She inquired, to which Haisen gave a slight shrug, and a relieving comment.

"You shouldn't have anything to worry about yet. It's supposed to take an extended period of time before it kicks in. But," Haisen held up a finger just as the two Mages were about to celebrate in this news. "That means you should start varying before it gets that bad. It's best to alternate between them as evenly as your opponent's alignments allow..."

Kyra shot Haisen a very concerned gaze, and Malum just looked on, still as confused and concerned as before.

"…but two Fire to a Blizzard or vice versa should be fine."

Malum just waved her hand at Haisen, walking on ahead again. "Of course we'll be fine. We're Warriors after all.

As Malum made her way down winding steps into the cavern, the four could catch multiple scents at once. The sea-salt was stronger to sniff walking further down the staircase, though it had been mixed with some stale smell; an unpleasant mixture. They swore they could almost pick up something else just as strong; a scent that was savoury, sweet, yet bitter... they couldn't figure out, even once they reached the bottom.

Kyra glanced around the stone cobbled area, its tables littered with bottles, axes, and other weapons. Chairs lay strewed on the floor, some in a far less repairable state than others as legs had been broken off, and some chairs were completely dismantled. It was like a tornado had devastated the very area. What was worse was that no one was to be seen in this area.

Haisen wasn't as confused as the girls were, and he walked on ahead, inspecting the scene in front of him. "It looks like a scene of a drunken bar brawl..." he murmured, folding his arms. Clearly from the way he eyed the bottles and destroyed furniture, he had seen the aftermath of a brawl before. The White Mage soon found himself deep in thought, hand on his chin as he slowly stepped further to the scenes. The girls followed along, listening to his mumbling. Unbeknownst to them, however, Haisen stepped onto one of the stone tiles, and suddenly, it pressed down further into the ground. Haisen looked down, feeling his foot sink.

Suddenly, the four were sent to the ground by some sort of heavy weight holding them down. This caused an outcry from the thief, as she struggled against the weight. "What the hell is this?!" She cried, glancing upwards. A net, with each end tied with a weight, had managed to land on all four of them, and pinned them straight down onto the ground.

"Okay, don't panic - we need to think through this logically!" Kyra insisted, clearly not calm enough to think of something logically herself.

"We could try and hoist this net off each other together," Kimi suggested, struggling to lift the weight herself. The other three agreed to Kimi's plan, and prepped themselves to lift this net together. "Okay... on three..." the Monk started, and the others awaited to start lifting. "One... two..."

"Eh?"

Glancing up, Kimi found three large, burly men standing in front of the net. Their attire consisted of leather armour over their tunics, and furs were found around their collars and the cuffs of their sleeves. The three wore tall metal helmets, and out either side came two rounded horns, clearly from an animal of sorts judging by the material. Two stood with bottles clutched in their hands, the third stood at the front with an axe slung over his shoulder. It was clear by the way the stood, and even when they started speaking, how incredibly intoxicated these men actually were.

"Eh... just a bunch of kiddies gettin' caught up..." The man with the axe grumbled, dropping the axe on its head onto the ground, rubbing a gloved finger under his nose. "First those pesky animals, now wanderin' kids." He turned to his comrades, who chortled behind him, waving their bottles in agreement with the man.

Malum's upper lip twitched in annoyance, and her eyes were dead set on the men in front of her. Kimi could see the fury build up in the thief's bright eyes, and it concerned her. Just as she was about to warn her, Haisen's mutterings could be heard.

"Drink, axes, and Vikings... never a good combination."

Though, Malum hadn't heeded wise Haisen's words. She grabbed part of the net above her, gripped it, muttering an incantation of Black Magic. Not much long after, the net started to burn, eradicating whatever was left trapping the four underneath. As soon as Malum found an exit through the burning net, she grabbed her knife and staff, and charged towards the Viking at the front of the trio, who only turned when it was too late. Malum's staff whacked across his jaw, and the knife slashed at his nose, sending him back. Though, he was quick to regain himself, and grabbed his axe, and with a yell, swung it straight at the Black Mage. Just in time, Malum managed to jump back from the attack.

"You little punk! We'll make sure you get a pink slip from the Valhalla!" The man shouted, not only himself charging at the group, but his two comrades as well.

Just as the Viking in front was about to strike Malum, Kyra managed to dive in just in time and shield the thief from the axe swinging their way. Before the man could even regain himself, Malum was quick to take the man out, whacking the man over the head with her staff once again.

Kimi, on the other hand, had more problems than the two Mages had. One of the men decided to go for her with the broken bottle, much rather than using the axe on his back. The Monk delivered punches, kicks, yet none seemed to knock the Viking down. The man barely seemed phased by any of the girl's attacks. Though, the man could barely aim right, often bumping into a nearby wall or a chair. That was when an idea came to Kimi. Reaching into the pockets of her gi, she pulled out the bronze knuckles she was given earlier, believing that these would come in handy. Stumbling towards her, the man threw a punch to the girl... and missed as he punched the empty air beside her.

While the Viking was still trying to recover, Kimi quickly slipped on the weapons. She hoped that this would work, that it phase the Viking in some way. She curled her hands into fists as normal, waiting for the man to just recover from his missing punch. The man soon stood up straight, stumbling in a turn to Kimi, and shouted with delight.

"Ah, there you ar-"

There was a cracking sound as Kimiko's right knuckle as it knocked past the left of the Viking's face, and quickly, her left knuckle met the right side. The man stumbled back, holding his jaw - which seemed to be broken. Then, in a rage, he stumbled forward, hands out as to grab the Monk. With a shriek, Kimiko ducked as the man attempted to take her into his grasp. As quickly as she ducked, she back off, getting back into her regular position. Though, as the girl went to land another punch at the man, her foot caught a loose tile, causing her to fall forward. The drunken man didn't quite expect it coming, and he too began to stumble backwards, until his heels slipped from under him, and he fell to the ground with a mighty thump, with Kimiko on top. The initial falling caught the man in a daze, and before he could even come to his senses again, the girl hastily pulled herself up and delivered a swift punch to under the man's jaw, knocking him out.

Kyra and Malum ran over to Kimi, who managed to find her feet once again. After she insisted several times that she was fine, Kyra glanced around the room. "Where's…?"

"Right here."

The girls turned to find Haisen with his staff perched on the remaining Viking's chest, and his foot also planted on top of him. The girls just stared in awe at the young man, not realising that the White Mage could take down a brute as big as a Viking. He just rolled his shoulders back, explaining, "You listen to enough jerks who think healing is a girl's job, you learn how to swing a staff."

"Not bad," Malum gave him a grin, playing with the knife among her fingers. "And to think you're a decisive fighter." To which Haisen gave a shrug, still leaning on his staff. She turned to Kimi and Kyra, folding her arms. "What could have gone wrong here with us?" She retorted with a chuckle, until she noticed a crowd enter the area. The girls turned around upon seeing Malum's horrified expression, and they could understand why she had such an expression.

The men that had approached them were no different that the men that they had just taken down. They too had the same attire, though, they seemed much less intoxicated.

"Great, more of them," Malum muttered, grasping her knife and her staff tightly. She knew this was going to be a lot more difficult than with the drunken Vikings.

The four had frozen as the Vikings approached them. Then, Malum chuckled nervously, doing what she knew best; backing away to make a getaway. "Heh... look, there's been a misunderstanding here..." she started, and motioned the others to follow. The other three were quick to back away too, just as the Vikings got closer and closer…

And then suddenly, Malum felt two rough hands land on her shoulder, and she glanced around, finding a much taller, and larger man behind her. Gripping the knife in her left, she managed to turn enough to slice at the brute, causing him to let go of the girl. However, as Malum turned to slash at anyone else, she found herself quickly surrounded. Despite slashing and swiping at people with the knife, and soon the staff, the more she had pushed back, the more men seemed to approach her.

There hadn't been much luck for the others. Kyra's hesitance of fighting with a sword and shield didn't help in this situation, and she had desperately sought mana to solve her problems. Though as she tried her best to conduct spells of Fire, they did nothing but dwindle and quickly puff out, her mana having drained quickly from the magic she had used earlier.

Kimiko had been quickly captured into the arms of one man, and though she desperately kicked and punched her captor and the others supporting her, they wouldn't budge, and she was weaker than the men who held her tightly.

Haisen was a different story. He tried the same technique from before - offensive rather than defensive. And though it did push back a few Vikings for a short amount of time, he hadn't the power of a fighter to keep back the horde of men that surrounded him. The White Mage made the wrong decision of whacking a Viking's chest several times with his staff, before the victim of the whacks had enough, and slung Haisen right over his shoulder. There were several protests coming from the boy, especially upon seeing how the girls were being treated.

"You're not carrying them?! Why do they get to walk?!"

"Shut your bleedin' trap!" The Viking spat, adjusting him on his shoulder as he walked out in front of the men, leading them further down the Cove. Haisen just leaned on his shoulder helplessly, glancing to the girls who were guided behind. All he could see was the sneers on Malum's face.

"You, my friend, are _never_ going to live this down."

* * *

They were dragged straight to 'The Boss', a man that had aged significantly over the years. His beard was hardly of any length, rather more tangled and scruffy than any other man's beard. His stomach looked rather bloated. But on the other hand, he looked like the kind of man who could pick you up and hurl you across the room if you got on the wrong side of him. The Boss sat with his legs resting on a table, among many bottles, and he sat back, looking at the four in front of him. And all he could do was laugh.

"So, these are the kids that took down my men?"

"Yes, Boss," One Viking nodded, standing behind the four to make sure they didn't try anything. "They managed to get out of the trap set at the front of the cove."

"Kids... just like little rats. They'll crawl through anything if you're not careful," the Boss murmured with a snide tone, picking up a bottle, and glugging some of its contents. Soon enough, he slammed the bottle down on the table, causing the four to jump a little. The man chuckled once again, sitting back in his chair. "And they're easy scared like the buggers."

"Let us go! We were just passing through!" Malum snarled, stomping one foot forward towards the Boss before the man behind the four grabbed the girl's arm, dragging her back in line.

"Passing through? You call setting off a trap, and injuring my men, passing through?!" The Boss boomed with rage, slamming his fist on the table so hard that one of the many bottles had fallen off, its contents spilling among the smashed glass on the floor. "I'd ought to feed you to the Nepto Dragon for the trouble you've caused!"

The other Vikings yelled in agreement, raising their bottles or their weapons to the Boss' words of wisdom.

"The... Nepto Dragon?" Kimiko uttered, glancing to her comrades for some sort of closure.

"There's legends going around about a dragon that protects the waters nearby..." Kyra explained, clearly referring to one of the many legends her mother had spoken to her about. Kimiko just shook her head, flustered over the fact that they could be fed to a giant sea creature.

"It couldn't be real, right?"

"Boss! Boss!" There were yells erupting from the back of the crowd of Vikings that stood before the Head. Soon, the crowd had separated, letting through a clean shaven boy, slightly younger than what the Warriors of Dark would be. He got to the front of the crowd, panting, attempting to speak. The Boss sat with impatience.

"Spit it out boy! I don't have all day!"

The boy managed to recover, standing up straight once again. "The seas... they're worse today. The tides have gotten worse..."

The Boss froze at the statement. A painful silence swept over the room, as all the men looked at each other. The older man groaned, slowly standing to his feet, scratching his beard. "Just what we need... a break-in, and the tides turning..."

"Wait," Kyra perked up, grabbing everyone's attention. "Let us see what's going on with your waters. We can prove we're not here to hurt you!"

"And if you _are_ here to hurt us?!" the Boss boomed once again in reply, until another Viking stepped forward.

"They'll probably die out there, Boss," one of the Vikings piped up from behind. "That'll be them out of our hair."

Malum glanced around at the voice, her eyes wide at the dismissive comment. She could only stutter, "W-wait, _what?_"

Though all the Vikings murmured, looking to the one that had stepped forward, before looking to the boss for his words. The older man, raised an eyebrow, pouted his lips in thought. Then he had decided.

"Alright then," he declared, looking to the four youths. "Head north of the Cove to the Nepto Temple. You can't miss it."

"No, _wait,_ **what?!**" Malum screeched, unable to keep up with what had been happening.

Haisen held his arm up, as if that would stop the Thief from screeching in confusion. He turned to the Boss, stating, "We'd like our weapons back though. One can hardly defend oneself without the proper equipment."

"If you say so," The Boss shrugged, and snapped his fingers, as two of his men dumped their weapons into a pile in front of them. As the four picked up their gear, the much larger man stood tall, with folded arms as he glared down at the youths. "Now, get outta my Cove."

Kyra was first to lead off, Kimiko nervously following behind, and Haisen dragging a confused Malum along in order to explain what exactly had happened. As they passed the Vikings, a few looked on in fear of what they were going to face. Others laughed, believing their fate was sealed.

Just what had they gotten themselves into _now?_

* * *

Draco: {throws door back open, SNES controller still hung over neck} DID YOU SAY TYPE-0?

Arca: *glances around, clutching XBOX controller* Erm...yes...I did...

Draco: {turns around and slams door again; door is thrown back open as I walk in with a stack of five notepad sheets that are visibly full of writing} I've put together a small collection of general advice for the game that I think you'll be able to make use of. {holds out papers}

Arca: Euh... *laughs nervously* I don't think that'll be necessary, Draco, but...

Draco: {grabs your hands and gives you the papers} I can do my best to help you, but my connection has been sucking recently. I made sure they were all spoiler-free, just read the notes.

Arca: Alright, alright, I'll take them... *starts looking through them * ...oh, kupo. These are...a lot of notes.

Notes: _General Advice for Final Fantasy Type-0_

=Page One=  
-Ideal parties should be one Ranger to  
two others, not vice-versa. Ignore what  
the haters and the munchkins say.  
-If you are more than three levels away  
from the recommendation, BACK OFF  
(proper missions only).  
-Let the conversations finish before  
starting to move [on your first time  
through]. Your score may fall, but  
playtime nets you gear - and that's based  
on your system user, not your save file.  
-The envelopes are of no use to anyone  
who is on their first time through.  
-If you are offered a choice between  
spending time and not spending time, do  
not spend time until you've done  
everything that does not offer that choice  
and does not come from something  
small, cute, and wearing a red cape.  
-The gold is random. You're still better off  
listening to it (or making it listen to you)  
-Saving in the middle of a mission? New  
save file. No exceptions.  
=Page Two=  
-There are Gysahl Greens, and there are  
Gyzahl Greens. The latter should be  
conserved, for they come in much more  
limited supply than they may seem to.  
-If you are dying in one hit, fall back to  
evasion and timing.  
-Summon often, or do not summon at all.  
-Whatever you think is right, you're  
wrong. And that's a big mistake.  
#SincerityMode #SeriousBusiness  
-"AP" is best ignored until you see a II  
reference.  
-If the background music is gone, the  
second choice is always the ideal one.  
-On the lowest difficulty, on your first  
time through, Level 30 is sufficient to  
wrap things up (if you're impatient).  
-You are not going to want to sleep. This  
is best counteracted by quitting a good  
deal of time BEFORE a mission is  
available, if sleep needs to be done.  
-If someone says "do this", it needs to be  
done by the character you're controlling.  
=Page Three=  
-You can take on anything, of any level,  
AT any level, once you have sufficient  
skill with the controls. Until that point,  
don't touch anything on the world map  
except a chocobo or a destination.  
-Fire against people, Thunder against  
machines, Blizzard against monsters If  
the enemy doesn't have an element, stick  
to that guide.  
-Vary your controlled character as often  
as possible - if only for the quotes you'll  
miss otherwise.  
-If you start having trouble, try reloading  
the last save and running the gamut with  
a single character instead.  
-On only two occassions must you die.  
-If you thought Phoenix Downs were rare  
in Final Fantasy III...  
-Raising cannot be performed while  
controlling a dead chracter.  
-Any attempt at serious shipping is futile.  
Take what's canon and wholly give up.  
=Page Four=  
-Weapons should be bought whenever  
you see, and can afford, a set stronger  
than your current equipment.  
-Accessories should be left as initially  
equipped until you have played the game  
through once.  
-Acquiesce to EVERY request you  
possibly can. Judge priority based on  
rejection conversation. In order from  
most important: guilt trip - conscience  
attack - talk down to character.  
-XV has a drastically different gameplay  
style. If you got the demo, play it before  
you start Type-0, because there will not  
be an "after you're done with Type-0".  
-For all intents and purposes, the Fabula  
Nova Crystallis divines are the same as  
those in our world: they exist for not  
reason other than to be cursed.  
-Don't wiki anything. Least of all before  
you've played the game twice over.  
-You can take nothing spoken at face  
value.  
=Page Four=  
{in page-spanning typography of such ornate opulence as to provide incentive for Yoshitaka Amano to _$#!+ a brick wall_}  
BRING  
TISSUES

Arca: *slowly closes over the mini-booklet* Guess I'm in for it then... *slowly turns around to the readers* Alright! Tune in next time to see where are heroes end up next!


	9. Turning Tides

Draco: Oh, Etro, that men should put an enemy in their homes to steal away their brains! That we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts! {slump} I hate insects.

Arca: *drinking tea, all the while gripping a PSP* And I hate manikins. Everywhere I go, there's always one or four behind me!

Draco: {cracks Coca-Cola} If you hate manikins, you're going to _loathe_ Great Tauricorns.

Arca: Great... *gets out a long list* I can add it to the things I loathe.

Draco: {laughs} Oh, Final Fantasy, you are bane and blessing of our lives... {turns to readers} Chapter 9, everyone! Hope you enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

The north exit of the Viking's Cove found the Warriors of the Dark in a small bay that seemed to serve as a dock of sorts. Several great ships were there, each adorned with radiant sails and flying a flag with a hammer upon it - and each rocking in waves that Kyra knew, even without having been there before, were not ordinary waves.

"So, Kyra," Kimiko prompted nervously, "about that Nepto Dragon you mentioned..."

Kyra shrugged, looking back to the Monk with a calm gaze. "There's not really much to the stories," she admitted. "The dragon is a guardian spirit that protects less powerful regions of water - places where the Crystals have no purview. It's nothing we really need to worry about."

"What's a 'purview'?" Malum inquired. Then, she shook her head vigorously, realizing that that was _not_ the question she should be asking; "And _why_ are you being so _patient_ about this!? They think we're going to die out here! That Boss said they were going to _feed us_ to that thing!"

Haisen chuckled, attracting the attention of Malum, an expression of bewilderment coming over her face. It wasn't the simple laugh that Haisen seemed to come out with that confused her; it was always the reason _why_. "Are you seriously scared of an old story?" he asked.

"You said _Djinn_ was an old story!" Malum retaliated.

"And we dealt with him, didn't we?" Haisen mused.

The Black Mage opened her mouth to protest before realizing that he had a point. "Well... yeah," she admitted, though went on to argue, "but that was a sorcerer that only you even knew about! This is a guardian spirit from the same set as the Crystals!"

"Even assuming the Nepto Dragon would bow to the whims of the Viking community," Kyra insisted, "it controls a smaller scope of power than the Crystals do. If I - alone - could defeat a creature that was meant to overtake a Crystal, then the four of us together can deal with something this small." She pointed ahead of them - they could see a temple in bright blue stone just ahead. The Boss was right. It really was hard to miss with its tall and proud structure. "That must be their temple."

Malum opened her mouth to argue.

Then a _shaking_ took the bay, catching them all off-guard; it wasn't particularly _strong_, but it was sudden enough that Kimi ended up on her behind. A sound like something being _torn_ echoed around them, and the four of them exchanged glances; then Kyra helped the Monk to her feet, and the four of them - with unstable steps - all started running towards the temple. Whatever that sound was, it was bound to spell trouble, and where there was trouble, the Warriors of the Dark were always nearby to find the source of it.

* * *

A hole in a stone floor?

Nothing they hadn't seen before.

A hole that _spat lightning?_

Now _that_ was rather frightening.

Entering the Nepto Temple put the Warriors of the Dark all of seven paces away from a _whirlpool of jet-black_ on the floor of the shrine. Bolts of white voltage leapt about, lashing across the walls and leaving scorch lines across the once immaculate blue stone. After a brief moment - long enough only for them to draw their weapons - something began to emerge from the storming hole.

It was humanoid... and it was _big_. This was a man who towered over all four of them, and could probably tower over all the Vikings in the Cove - and those Vikings were a tall group of people. His body was covered in bright red armour, with visibly segmented plates to provide plenty of mobility; and yet, despite a moment's thought telling them that the segmentation ought make it more vulnerable, the notion felt _inaccurate_, somehow. The sabatons bore claws of a sort over the toes, though they didn't seem to be separate openings, instead forming one grip with separate tips. His muscled arms were bare, though there were cuffs around his wrists, and his head bore a helmet that left his eyes and mouth (but not his nose) uncovered; in his left hand was a long naginata, held flat against the floor, and a black cape bound to the tip of his back trailed low behind him.

The spiralling blackness and white voltage faded from around the man, leaving him kneeling upon the floor of the temple. A brief moment; then he opened his eyes, glancing around him. He already seemed deep in thought, trying to place where he was.

"...Where...?"

His gaze turned to the Warriors before him. Kyra stood with her shield before her, sword at her side; Malum had her casting rod in one hand, with the other held back with her knife; Kimiko had her bronze knuckles on her hands, fists raised before her, and Haisen had both hands closed on his staff before him. The four were thoroughly prepared for something to happen, and the man could clearly see this.

Malum took the initiative and spoke up. "Are you the one who disturbed the seas!?" she demanded, attempting to keep her strong stance so that the man couldn't catch her vulnerability, and strike her down quick.

The big man narrowed his gaze, a slight puzzlement emerging in his eyes. "What...?" He murmured, to which Malum almost _yelled _a demand again, until the White Mage of the group stepped up himself.

"The waters of the Nepto Dragon," Haisen elaborated. "Have you done something to affect them?"

"Nepto...?" The man got to his feet suddenly, prompting the Warriors to step back. "Oh! Is this...? This must be one of those mental-centrepiece shrines! Just a moment..." He turned around - his naginata prompting everyone to duck - and stepped towards the back of the temple, where a statue of a dragon's head was perched.

As the four of them watched, he picked up something from the floor of the temple - a small ruby - and looked it over. "One of his eyes..." he muttered, turning it over between his fingers as he inspected it. "Must've knocked it loose when I got here. Now, then..." He slid the jewel into the dragon-head's empty right eye socket, and a slight gleam emitted from both eyes.

The large man turned around, and the Warriors - who had stepped to the sides while his back was turned, to get a better look at what he was doing - quickly took defensive positions.

"Have you only come here to calm the seas?" he demanded.

"Yes," Kyra confirmed, slowly lowering her weapons; though, refused to throw caution to the wind. "If the seas are becalmed, we will take our-"

"I think not."

The Red Mage was caught off-guard by the protest. "Huh?"

The armoured man braced his naginata in both hands. "It would hardly be proper of me, with you having come to a place of such power, for so vast a goal, to let you leave without a good fight!" he insisted, delighted by the very feeling of his weapon in his hands and facing these Warriors. "Will you take up your arms?"

Kyra was about to say to that; no, they would rather _not_ fight someone of such strength, and stature - but Malum spoke before she even had the chance to say so.

"If you want a fight," she insisted, gripping her rod and knife, a fiery competitiveness present in her eyes, "this is hardly enough room for a big dude like you!"

The man dashed forward.

Kimi and Kyra exchanged half a glance; then Kyra stepped in front of Haisen, and Kimi in front of Malum - for the Black and White Mages had less in the way of defences, and the Monk and the Red Mage taking the brunt of the armoured man's leaping blow would help prevent anyone in their quartet from being disabled before the fight began.

They found themselves tumbling to the ground outside the Nepto Temple, with the four of them getting to their feet as quickly as they could. Haisen didn't hesitate to wrap everyone's wounds in Cure magic as the armoured figure took a curious fighting stance - naginata gripped near the base, with the blade end raised behind him.

"Show me your power!"

Malum wasn't slow in lashing her casting rod forward, a blast of Fire magic flying from the tip and slamming into his chest - and the bandit's heart sank when the blaze petered out ineffectively against his armoured plates. Kyra raised her shield hand, calling a shard of Blizzard magic around his weapon arm - her hopes that exposed skin would be more vulnerable were quickly dashed when he shattered the still-forming ice with the cuff around his other wrist. Haisen swept his staff before him, forming a gale of Aero around their opponent - the faintest of red lines rose around his arms, and a sound resembling _thrown stones bouncing off a wall_ echoed from his armour.

He started towards them, his armour shaking menacingly upon his every footstep.

Then Kimiko charged forward, intending to interrupt him. Her attempted swing was a moment too early, passing through the air in front of him and prompting her to fall to the ground just to the left. The armoured man had tried to swing at her, but her miss had effectively let her evade the blow, and she landed on his sabaton, prompting him to stumble slightly for himself. That opening provided a chance for Kyra to rush forward, and he had only time to regain his footing before she swung her sword at his weapon arm. The initial strike hit his cuff, but she managed to drag the blade into his arm, prompting him to pull away quickly.

His grip meant the blade end of his naginata skimmed Kimi's leg, and she reflexively set her fists against the ground and propelled herself off the surface. That propulsion launched her up, and her feet connected with the back of the armoured man's head - after which she quickly fell back to the ground, landing on her back. His helmet ringing, he spun around, his weapon whistling through the air above the Monk. Kyra was trying to swing at him again, but the spin had the naginata's point going straight for her; the raise of her shield sent her flying with a nasty _crack_.

Malum took the initiative; with Blizzard magic having proven _slightly_ more effective, she cast another shard of ice on his weapon arm. Striking the ice off gave Kimi an opening to drive a one-two punch into his elbow, and when he tried to strike at her, she managed to back off before the blow could hit. She found herself tumbling to the earth, and when the man raised his naginata, another gale tried to cut at him.

He turned back to see Haisen kneeling next to Kyra, who was sparking with the afterglow of Cure magic. "Are you alright?" the White Mage asked. "I heard something break-"

"Not me," Kyra snapped. "My _shield_." The mythril plate was shattered on the ground between her and the armoured man. "I can't fight like this!" she heaved a sigh, anguished that she had already lost her main piece of defence.

Malum noticed the Red Mage's predicament; she quickly caught her casting rod under her arm, grabbed her knife by the blade, and held it out to Kyra. "Here," she insisted. "Better you have _something_ in your other hand."

Kyra grit her teeth, taking the knife and looking it over. It wasn't a shield... but it was something. "I guess I can parry with that," she grumbled, turning back to their opponent - who Kimi had managed to keep distracted. She swept her blade forward, a shot of Fire flying from the tip and slamming into the armoured man's empty hand. A shout of pain escaped as he turned round - only to see Kyra raise her sword above her head.

And a bolt of Thunder dropped from the cloudless skies, slamming into his armour and sending shocks across his body.

"Malum!"

"You got it!"

The Black Mage raised her casting rod as Kyra rushed forward, the man fighting off the last of the lingering voltage. Kimi slammed a punch into the knuckles of his weapon hand, prompting him to drop his naginata; then she leapt away as another bolt of Thunder slammed into the man. Kyra quickly lashed her sword across his other arm while he was stunned - although her angle meant it skidded across his cuff first, stopping her from dealing as much damage as she would have liked. The man managed to grab his naginata, trying to thrust it at her; she managed to direct it to the ground with her sword and snap the tip off with Malum's dagger, leaping away before the next bolt struck down.

Kimi took this opportunity to scramble up the man's back and slam another fierce kick into his head, this one with enough force for him to drop to one knee - whereupon the Monk quickly tumbled to the ground in front of him, landing next to Kyra. The Red Mage quickly helped her to her feet, and the two of them stepped back as Malum and Haisen stepped forward, all with their weapons raised.

The armoured man raised his gaze to the four of them... and chuckled lightly, closing his eyes.

"Not bad..."

That sound again - the sound of something being _torn_. The Warriors of the Dark all leapt away from their opponent as that white lightning from before began to lash out around him. Malum landed with a practiced roll; Kyra and Haisen stepped back to steady themselves, and Kimi ended up on her butt as the surface beneath the armoured man darkened. When it had reached a pitch-black hue, the black gap began to spiral, and the armoured man only closed his eyes as he sunk into the hole.

A brief moment after he had vanished... and then the gap faded out, leaving the earth untouched where it had been.

The group was quiet for a short while longer, afraid something else might happen; then Kimi sighed, falling onto her back and looking up at the others. "What in the _world_ was that about?" she inquired.

Haisen shook his head. "I have _no idea_," he admitted. Thinking for a few moments, he tried to come up with some sort of ground breaking explanation to the man. "Did he... maybe-"

"New rule," Malum interrupted. When everyone shot her a glare, she continued, "I don't get to decide who we fight anymore."

"Seconded," Haisen confirmed. "What were you _thinking_?"

Kyra shot bolt upright, staring out beyond the land they found themselves on. "Wait, the waters-!"

All four of them turned to the Viking ships in the bay - none of which were rocking, for the waves that had moved them had subsided.

* * *

"You _actually_ managed to calm the seas?"

The Warriors had returned to the Vikings' Cove, and the Boss was incredulous. "Amazing... And here I thought you were little troublemakers, and you were gonna go do something stupid like fight Nepto."

Kyra had to ask, at this point. "About that... Are you saying that the Nepto Dragon actually appears before you guys?"

"Not as often as I would like," the Boss admitted, scratching his beard. "Or maybe _more_ often than I would like. I dunno. We'll see him when he's in a bad mood - if we don't find a way to appease him quickly, he'll usually trash one of our ships. The turning of the tides is usually the first sign that he's getting moody."

"On the subject of sailing..." Haisen interjected, drawing the Boss' attention. "Might we ask a small favour?"

The Boss leaned back in his chair. "Let me guess," he mused, a small smirk appearing on his lips. "You need a ship, right?"

"That's the only reason we came here," Malum snapped, folding her arms. "Your trap went off when we were looking for someone to talk to."

"And when the drunkards were the first to find you, they said something that made you retaliate," the Boss guessed. "Alright, I guess we can allow you a vessel. Ladra! Hesper!"

Footsteps prompted the Warriors to turn - the younger boy from before was there, along with a larger man with an axe hoisted over his shoulder. "Sir!"

"Hesper," the Boss ordered, "go to the treasure storage and get that magic stuff from the temple." The younger boy nodded and took off. "Ladra, escort these kids to the _Blue Dragon_ and show them the ropes."

"Very well, sir."

Kimiko spoke up at this point. "With all due respect, sir," she insisted, "we're all rather... tired. Would you be willing to let us stay the night?"

The Boss was surprised at the notion, but only nodded. "Of course," he mused. "Ladra, show them to the inn. Their night's on me."

* * *

The next morning, the big man Ladra showed the four Warriors to their ship. The _Blue Dragon_ was an impressive vessel, with sails of royal aqua and a helm encrusted with sapphires - and Kyra was surprised when she caught sight of the figurehead, a dragon's helm near identical to that in the Nepto Temple. "Is this...?"

"Nepto," Ladra confirmed. "The _Blue Dragon_ is our finest vessel. You'd be hard-pressed to find a ship that'll sail faster, and she can take a good volley of anything the sea beasts can throw at you. Treat her kindly, will you?"

Haisen bowed his head. "Of course," he promised.

Malum glanced around. "Where's that Hesper guy?" she asked. "The one your boss sent to fetch the magic stuff?"

"Here."

The bandit yelped, spinning round and going for her knife to find the younger boy standing there with a bag in his hands. "Sorry I'm a little late," he insisted as the others turned, setting the bag down before them. "I wasn't told you'd be heading out this early," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the sleeve of his tunic.

"It's alright," Kimi assured him. "What was your boss bringing us?" she asked, looking to the bag with curiosity.

"A few things we found in the Nepto Temple, from a long while ago," Hesper explained. "None of us can use them, but maybe you guys can do something with it."

Sitting inside the bag were three scrolls, a sheathed sword, and a small knife. Kyra picked up the sword, looking it over - the blade looked normal enough, although it bore a wave near the tip, but running her finger along the blunt edge gave her a light static charge. Malum was quick to snatch the dagger, and upon drawing it found it to bear slightly jagged edges; slapping the flat of the blade against her palm produced a nasty _jolt_ \- in the _handle_, which left her dropping it to the ground. She shook her hand after the jolt, wincing a little at the initial shock. Haisen picked up the scrolls, looking them over - and displeasure visibly crossed his face when he did.

"No good," the healer mused, and with a sigh, turned to the thief, motioning to the scrolls. "Malum, these'll be yours - it's all Black Magic."

"Thanks," the bandit hummed. "That dagger won't work for me - my hands aren't covered."

Kyra sighed, sheathing the sword and picking up the dagger in her off hand. "I guess I can manage," she mused. Turning to Hesper; "Tell your boss we said thanks. These'll all come in handy."

Hesper quickly took off, heading back towards the Cove. The Red Mage didn't fail to notice Kimiko's concerned gaze, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You don't want to use two weapons," Kimi mused. "Do you?"

Kyra shrugged. "I can manage," she insisted. "I'd _prefer_ to have a shield on hand, but this is still better than two swords."

On seeing his companions sort out the Vikings' thanks, Haisen turned to Ladra, who had been waiting for them to say they were done. "You were gonna show us how to use a ship?"

* * *

Arca: Oh, how the works of man and beast could make such tales that stir the emotions of my wretched soul! *safely stows away books containing the current volume of Age Before chapters* Now, where was I… *goes through English Literature texts, Theatre Study scripts, and a History textbook, to pick up a PSP* Conclusion of cycle 012, here I come!

Draco: {sets down bundle of travel tissues next to Arca, without turning away from readers} From physical description, you may recognize our Warriors' opponent here. From behaviour, you may not. All we shall say in the matter is that his appearance in the Age Before is only for his **lack** of appearance in any _official_ form of Eternal Wind, and thus, impossibility of appearance in Arca's Legend.

Arca: Exactly! And it's something different to bring into Age Before. *looking at the tissues* What the hell am I going to need these f-OH NO, DON'T TELL ME-

Draco: I'm a story man, Arca. Difference in control is but one reason I told you to play 012 without playing the original Dissidia first.

Arca: *grabs essentials* If you don't hear me within three days, file a missing person's report.

Draco: {laughs, adds a Coca-Cola to the bag whilst turning to readers} Leave a review, one of us will be sure to respond!

Arca: *already clambering off into the distance, shouting* Reviews are much appreciated! As is tissues as a donation to my cause! We'll be back for more soon!


	10. Knowledge is Power

Arca: *sighs, sitting back in her chair* Nothing like sitting back, relaxing, having a good old ti-oh shh… *scrambles pages together, throwing them to Draco* DRACO, CHAPTER 10 IS FINALLY DONE!

Draco: {tries to catch papers, catches about half of them} PULSE, Arukuu, what was that for?

Arca: I don't know! My mind is BUZZING, my hands are TREMBLING with such excitement! *scrambling to pick up the papers* Tight deadlines give me such a rush, Draco!

Draco: Oookaaaaay... {turns to readers} Anyways, Chapter 10! Enjoy.

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

Ladra had been kind enough to teach the group how to handle the helm, adjust the sails to particular winds, and other useful tips for a stress-free sailing across the oceans. The burly, larger man had also been kind enough to provide them with a map for their journey. Once the four prepared to set sail, Ladra wished them luck on behalf of the Vikings, even if they didn't really mean it anyway.

They had sailed for quite a time - no one seemed to count the hours as they sailed past lands in awe and curiosity, all in a _ship_ originally _commandeered by Vikings_. This was just one of the many fairy tales that was considered null, non-existence. And here they were, Warriors of the Dark, sailing along the high seas, on the _Blue Dragon_, like in a child's dream.

After their subsequent sailing from the Viking Cove, Kimi, fearful of ending up with a mast on her head rather than successfully set up sails, had been on the lookout for nearby towns the four could enter to investigate more about their destiny. Not too far from where they were sailing, near the coastline, she noticed a small village. Looking to the map that she held in her hands, she squinted to see whereabouts they were. Suddenly, the map flew from her hands and away from her to the other side of the ship, and she squealed as she turned to sprint to retrieve it. Though, Kimi stopped, seeing her comrade, Malum, with the map in her hand, waving it at her.

"Looking for this?" She grinned proudly, causing Kimi to blush, and mumble a yes in reply. The thief held up the map as she walked over to where Kimi stood, glancing at it, before pulling the map down to look at the village on the coast. Then she held up the map again, examining it closely. "We've got our village. Ta...kal? No, wait... Lukool?"

"Goku?" Haisen raised an eyebrow, not hearing Malum's pronunciations quite correctly whilst at the helm. He looked to Kyra in a state of confusion, who soon rolled her eyes and went over to investigate the... awfully strange sounding names.

The girl peered at the map beside Malum, and found the word she was trying to pronounce. The handwriting had been scrawled, as if quickly written in a hurry. The 't's looked something like 'l's, and the 'u's were not all that different from a strangely written 'a'. She didn't even want to pronounce it herself for fear she would confuse Haisen even more than he was.

Kimi soon grabbed the map from Malum's hands, who let out a groan of indignation. She held one finger out, looking closely at the map herself now. "...Tokkul. That village on the coast is Tokkul."

"Hell, my handwriting's better than that. And my handwriting's like a kid's." Malum quickly added, folding her arms over her chest.

"How could you read that?" Kyra enquired, looking at her with a sudden interest.

"My boss' handw-well, my ex-boss' handwriting..." Kimi explained, quickly correcting herself in realizing that she actually no longer worked for the man. "It was always pretty difficult to read. Though I noticed patterns in it - that he wrote letters in specific ways. And then you had loads of different people writing stuff down on scraps of paper, so there was always a range of different handwriting I got to understand."

"So, that's like your super-secret talent then?" Malum joked a little, yet Kimi nodded quite seriously in return.

"Guess so." The girl simply answered with a smile, putting both hands behind her back. "Makes up for my two left feet."

Following this chat, Kyra gave out the order for Haisen to turn the ship towards that of the village near the coastline. His mooring wasn't as great as his sailing was. The young man had almost drove the ship too far into the coastline, and managed to stop it before it got itself stuck in the sand. Haisen made up some excuse or other about not having lessons on parking a ship. While that may have been true, all he needed was some common sense without burying them into the land.

Not long after debates of where to leave their ship and how to leave it, did the four actually arrive in the village of Tokkul. It wasn't incredibly big, though, it wouldn't be seen as a small village either. There were plenty of houses, plenty of people getting on about their own daily businesses, plenty of little shops having popped up too. It reminded Kyra of Ur, how similar the two villages seemed to be. Already she had that churning feeling in her stomach she dreaded to feel after she left. She didn't think it would come that soon, she didn't think she'd come close to a realisation so soon that she actually missed her home.

Haisen walked on ahead into the centre of the village - managing to avoid two children who zoomed straight past him and the girls, not seeming to take notice of the new souls that had trespassed upon their homeland. The young man took a glance around the village, looking for where they should start to ask questions first. The problem was what to ask, and how not to give anything about their titles away.

"...What are we doing again?" Malum couldn't help but ask, looking to Kyra with a genuine confusion.

"We're going to ask about what's around here…" Kyra quickly replied, still caught up in her thoughts of home. As the homesickness faded, she too began to realise the difficult situation they found themselves in. The Wind Crystal told them about bringing equilibrium, restoring peace to the world... but not about how they would do such a thing. They weren't told where to go nor what to do. The closest thing they had was Cid's advice - the dwarves and the Fire Crystal.

"We don't have a particular aim, and we're not going to get very far without one." Kimi mused, propping herself up onto her tiptoes, and back onto her feet once again, glancing around her. However, the two children that had run past Haisen and around the girls seemed to have returned, still running at a high speed. One of them had been chasing the other around the village, and the chaser had bumped into the Monk in the process, right as she pushed herself onto her toes. Kimi panicked at the sudden push, and not having found her footing quick enough on the ground, she fell forward, and fell quite flatly onto the ground, her face surrounded by the grass the girls had been standing on. A groan emitted from the girl, muttering something of a, "Not again."

The chaser noticed this calamity, having gotten out of it with only a stumble. He seemed rather sheepish at having caused such a spectacle, and he stared at girl, mumbling, "S-sorry 'bout that, miss."

"She's used to it," Kyra replied dismissively, shrugging off the incident. The boy nodded, running off after his friend yet again, just as Kimiko started to pick herself up again, muttering something of being cursed with such unnatural clumsiness.

It was only during this muttering that Kyra noticed that Haisen had disappeared. She understood that being surrounded by three girls could be rather overwhelming, but they at least needed to know where Haisen would run off to. As Kyra started to search around, it hadn't taken her that long to find the young man. Haisen stood near the inn, speaking to a man who had been dressed in smart attire for someone part of the village folk. The two obviously were holding a conversation with one another, and Kyra watched the two speak for several moments. No words at first stood out in particular at first... until she thought she saw the word 'crystal' being used. The Red Mage became more attentive to the details of their lips, and she saw that word being used again. Her curiosity was caught.

"Kyra, you okay?"

Kyra swivelled around to Kimi, who looked from Haisen speaking to the man back over to Kyra, with a curiosity herself. She didn't exchange any words with Kimi, and soon found herself walking over towards Haisen and the man. "Haisen," she interrupted, the young man turning to her, raising an eyebrow. She was going to tell him not to go running off, though Haisen beat her by introducing the man.

"Kyra, this man," he quickly explained, gesturing to the man. "He tells me he's been researching the Crystals."

"Crystals, huh?" Kyra mused, pursing her lips in a curious manner, despite already knowing that their conversation had been about this.

The researcher, having a sudden twinkle in his eye, turned to Kyra, with a sudden determined and inquisitive expression. It was almost as if seeing that of a child, eager to learn more. No, rather, to talk more about their favourite subject. "Do you know what the Crystals can do?"

Kyra nodded, folding over her arms as she started to recite what she knew about them. "They hold the elements of the world in check. The Wind Crystal stops natural gales from becoming fierce storms. The Fire Crystal helps avoid the formation of volcanoes. The Water Crystal prevents the seas from throwing waves that could wreck communities. And the Earth Crystal keeps fissures and earthquakes from happening." During this recital, both Kimi and Malum approached, seeing as they were talking to the man about the peculiar subjects of crystals.

Kimi overheard Kyra's explanation of what, in particular, the Earth Crystal could do, and questioned, "Don't earthquakes _make_ fissures?"

"Not most of the time."

The reseacher looked to Kyra, as if he hadn't even noticed Kimi and Malum arriving behind her beforehand. "You're quite studious, miss, but that's what the Crystals _will_ do." There was a pause, as he looked from Haisen, to Kyra, and then finally to Kimi and Malum. He looked at them with an excitable glint in his eye. "Do you know what they _can_ do?"

Each of the youths looked to the man with perplexity, unaware of anything more the Crystals could possibly do for them in any way. He seemed to earn a sense of amusement out of this, chuckling at the young ones' confusion.

"Within each of the Crystals is a limitless source of pure energy, the smallest amount of which is comparable to each of those greatest natural disasters they keep from happening." The older man explained slowly, though with no intention of stopping so quickly. There was more to his explanation of their Crystals. "Our people have been trying to find a way to harness that energy for mortal use. Just imagine what we could do if we could use the Crystal's light ourselves!"

The four exchanged looks from one another, and directed their gazes back to the researcher. Using the Crystal's light for yourself? Was that even possible if you weren't working under the crystals? They had to admit, they were hooked by the hypothesis presented by the man. Their eyes prompted him to continue.

"A soldier with such force in his body that a swung sword could sever grown trees, as easily as you could snap a twig under your foot." As though to prove his point, he shifted his foot, and a twig that no one had noticed broke under it. "A mage casting a single spell that could wipe out an attacking army, exerting himself no more than you would to light a candle." They could see his excitement building up inside of him, finally able to explain something of such a dramatic scale to those outside from where he lived. That glint in his eye grew, his arm gestures seemed to grow that much stronger as he had explained this, and his movement... he couldn't keep still. The man really was like an excited child. "A strategist commanding monsters, allowing him to strike the same fear into his enemies that he felt seeing those beasts as children!"

"That's..." Haisen opened his mouth to speak more, yet nothing more came out. For once, the young man was lost for words. He spoke for others in this dumbfounded subject; everyone couldn't seem to comment on the things this man spoke about. Their Crystals' almighty, godly, and other worldly powers... inside of _people_?

"Of course, if we were to _start_ with putting that kind of power in human bodies, the results could be kind of nasty." The older researcher chuckled, trying to loosen up the dumbfounded atmosphere. This hadn't worked, as there was still such a silence from the four youths. Ceasing his small laughter, he rubbed his forehead, going out to explain some more about the new discovery. "To start, we're trying something else - physical constructs that act with the power of the Crystal's light. We've got some analysts in the Tower of Ice to the north, checking out the Fire Crystal. We've already figured out a way to draw its energy; right now, we're just analysing its workings to see how that energy _normally_ works."

Malum was quick to step into this conversation, looking at this man with an almost…indignant look in her eyes. With hands on her hips, she protested, "Wouldn't that be just... oh, I don't know, a _little bit _dangerous?" Not long after she had pitched this question, she added, "I mean, we're dealing with _the_ Crystals, and _their_ power. We don't exactly know much about it."

"And that is exactly why we're analysing them!" The wiser man smiled, the spreading of his lips almost too painfully enthusiastic. "This research is the act of creating new knowledge."

Haisen raised an eyebrow as he finished, intrigued by his theory on the Crystals, and the research that seemed to have started because of that particular theory.

"So, the Tower of Ice, huh?" Kyra mused thoughtfully, putting a gloved hand to her chin. Now she remembered Cid's advice clearly: the Fire Crystal, held in the Tower of Ice, watched over by the dwarves. She could see out of the corner of her eye that the researcher still had that smile on his face. "Why the 'Tower of Ice'?"

"Oh, I don't know, Kyra," Haisen started sarcastically, looking at her with an already tired and impatient look. "Maybe because it's a tower. Made of ice."

"Haisen..." Kimi groaned, slowly stepping forward in the hope of stopping anything that might kick off.

"Now, now," The man stepped in, putting his arms out to stop this from escalating into an argument also. "No need to get overworked over nothing here. How about you visit the seers on your way to the Tower, hm?"

"...Seers?" Malum narrowed her eyes, her attention snapping to him once again. "Why would we need to see a bunch of prophets?"

"Every herd needs a shepherd, am I right?"

Before Malum could pipe in with a retort, Kyra stopped her, nodding her head in agreement. "Maybe he's right," she suggested. "We should see what they know." Her gaze went to each of her fellow Warriors, hoping they would agree on it too. Haisen's intrigue was only piqued further, and he agreed immediately. Kimi, though thinking on the idea longer, soon quickly nodded. Kyra turned back to Malum, stating, "Three against one. Guess we're going to see these seers."

Malum rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine. We'll go see them, then."

The researcher smiled, quite proud that his advice was acknowledged by these youths. "Before you go, I should give you directions to both places. Do you happen to have a map?" Without another reply from Malum, the researcher took the rolled up map, and straightened it up against the tree, showing the four where they would go from Tokkul. "You'll want to head north-west from Tokkul here to the Gulgan Gulch," and with a motion of his finger, he directed them to where they would go first. "You'll have to trek through the mountain range if you wish to meet with the Gulgans. Walking to it can be a bit of a pain if you don't have suitable transport... but I assure you, it is worth your aching feet in the end. Then, to get to the Tower of Ice," The man moved his finger from the north-westerly Gulgan Gulch, and north-east, to a small islet past the exit to the outer sea. "Here, in the dwarven region. Be careful - they've been a little on edge ever since we set up."

Haisen soon took the map that the older man so politely returned, and nodded to him in thanks. "Thank you for your help. If we're lucky enough, we might meet again."

"Maybe so. For now, I wish you four all the luck on your journey. Safe travels."

The four nodded to the man, giving their thanks once again for his aid, and the village that was so vibrant and full of energy, had four fewer souls with more of a purpose to their travels once again.

* * *

They decided to sail the _Blue Dragon_ to the shores closer to the Gulgan Gulch; then, upon arriving safely, Kyra decided to lead the group the rest of the way. Going by the directions given by the researcher, the four youths - after a tiring trek - found themselves up the mountain, and then at the Gulgan Gulch. Torches lined themselves among the rough walls of the cavern. By the way the dust lifted as the four moved along the ground, and the rocky structures from the walls and its floors, you wouldn't at first suspect that there was anyone living in this musty place, let alone anyone of power.

That was, until they proceeded much further, and along a bridge to a large circle of hooded figures, clad in green robes. There was silence among them; a strange and mysterious silence, yet, from them, there was almost an otherworldly vibe. Just as Kyra was about to address them, every one of those hooded figures seemed to turn to face the four that had trespassed into their homes. What their eyes lay upon next was something that they didn't quite expect.

These seers that the researcher had spoken of, and the one thing he chose not to mention about them, was of the crimson blindfolds that they wore over their eyes. Kyra only stood and stared in shock, a thousand questions spinning around her head and sitting on her tongue. Yet she could not speak. Haisen gawked also at what he saw, stepping back in surprise, not being able to put into words what he saw. Kimi suddenly grew fearful, taking Haisen's arm as he had stepped back, afraid of what power these hooded figures could actually have. Malum was the one who stood in bewilderment at what they saw. She thought these people were possibly much more than just 'seers'. The question remained among the four: who exactly were these seers? What could they see? How could they come to see things? Most importantly, why were they afflicted with blindness?

Another hooded figure soon appeared from the inner circle of the seers, who couldn't be considered much different from the other hooded figures that surrounded him. As he stepped out, the four were immediately on their guard, having all stepped back a few more steps, their hands on their weapons, ready to defend themselves owners. This figure hummed to himself, his gaze shifting between them as though he could see through his blindfold.

"So, this is what the common folk think of us... as enemies, monsters, outcasts..."

"What are you talking about?" Kyra questioned him with a shaky tone, her hand grasping firmly on the hilt of her blade. She trembled slightly, out of the fear for the unknown, the fear of these strange hooded people. "Who... who are you?"

The blind figure raised his head, facing Kyra directly, causing her to shudder, as if she could feel his very eyes on him. He stood like this for several moments, in a silence that seemed to pain everyone in this room. Slowly, he began to speak. "We are the Gulgans, seers born sightless, but endowed with the power of clairvoyance; we have the power to foretell your future." He advanced forward one step; and again, the four youths seemed hesitant to his coming nearer. He simply faced them once again, and spoke in a wise manner.

"Long ago we walked among the seeing. Whilst they had an advantage to see the world around them, they had the disadvantage of not knowing what would come of their futures. That was what set us apart." The Gulgan paused, appearing thoughtful for a few moments. He then continued on. "Many would come to us looking to understand what their future held for them. Whether plentiful harvest would occur, or famine, death and life... We could see every detail within their lives, within the world we walked."

He turned away from them, looking above him at the roof of their cavern, their beloved home. "However, our boon can be considered a curse. Oftentimes, knowing the future can lead to misfortune. Often we see monstrous and horrifying futures, and yet people still wish to know of their apparent fate. Holding one soul's future in your very eyes is a dangerous thing." The Gulgan soon turned back to the four souls again, who listened now with eagerly, taking it in like children. "It is why we have hidden ourselves away here. Often, it is our telling of the future, that leads one to an attempt of preventing their future - and inevitably running into their fate. Know this, Warriors of the Dark."

There came a unison of gasps from the four youths, shocked at his knowing their station; yet the Seer had not been perturbed by the shock of them, and continued on.

"Knowledge is power. But often, too much knowledge is one's downfall and path to ruin. As Warriors of the Dark, you must restore the balance between light and darkness. Otherwise, an unstoppable force will bring sorrow onto our world." The Gulgan slowly turned, and the four watched as he walked back to the circle of hooded, blind seers. "Your destiny lies to the north, in the land of the dwarves..."

The Seer fell quiet at that, stepping away. The other hooded figures turned from the Warriors of the Dark, and back into the original inner circle of Gulgans.

And there was that silence, once again.

The youths soon found themselves walking out of the Gulch, numbed by the wisdom that had been delivered to them, and dazed by the advice that was given to them by these blind seers. They held a great power, a great power that was clearly feared and welcomed in both respects. The prospect of these Gulgans had frightened them, made them hesitant. Yet, they walked out of there enlightened, somewhat wiser than what they were before they walked into the Gulch.

The most thoughtful out of all them seemed to be Kyra. The Gulgan's words swirled around her head. She questioned what he possibly meant by what he said, and what really lay ahead of them. Just what did he meant?

"So, to the Tower of Ice it is then?" Malum interrupted Kyra's thoughts, staring to the figure, whose eyes were blank and lips were pursed. She stared for longer, as Kyra slowly looked around to her, nodding her head, and saying nothing more. The Black Mage sighed, muttering, "Those seers were creepy as all hell."

"They're very... insightful." Haisen commented, half-joking, and half-serious about their encounter with the blind seers. He could already feel Malum's eyes on him, staring daggers at him.

"...Shut up."

Haisen just laughed at Malum's glare as he turned back to look at it, pointing to her, then to Kimi who walked alongside her, "Come on! You got to admit that was pretty good!"

"Mmhm," Kimiko just hummed, glancing out ahead to the outside world the Gulgans seemed to shut themselves away from.

And in the distance, stood the Tower of Ice, in all its glory in the gleaming daylight. One could only wonder the magnificent things inside that were hidden away inside such a structure.

Though often enough, things are hidden away for one reason or another.

* * *

Draco: {shudders} Something about seers is always unnerving. At least these guys are well-mannered - even if they are cryptic as all Lindzei.

Arca: At least I don't have any in my local neighbourhood. I'd know my future inside out by now, probably.

Draco: We'd be shoddy Warriors, wouldn't we, Arukuu? If we can't handle a seer, we certainly can't take the fate of the Crystals.

Arca: I can't even take the prospect of responsibility, so I wouldn't be a great candidate for saving everyone anyway.

Draco: {laughs} Well, here's to our tenth! Hope you all enjoy!


	11. The Frozen Tower

Draco: The problem with not matching III's path exactly is that it's hard to come up with _that many_ dungeons.

Arca: It's a shame too; though at least it's not as generic as the original quest.

Draco: Yeah, the NES-era Fantasies don't exactly have the most fleshed-out of plots.

Arca: Well, at least you can use your imagination.

Draco: {laughs} Yeah. {to readers} Well, Chapter 11!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

"So, this is the land of the dwarves."

In all honesty, there wasn't much land to call dwarven. The Tower of Ice was a tall, narrow structure, glistening in the sunlight like a crystal itself - from the outside, Kyra reckoned three floors, at most. That was in the middle of a wide expanse of jagged, untraversable rock about the size of a one-story building; there was a cave entrance before a small spit of shore, where Haisen had moored the _Blue Dragon_.

Kimiko's observation prompted a sigh from Malum. "I'm guessing we won't be able to just _walk_ into the Tower of Ice," she theorized, rubbing the back of her neck.

"That's probably not a good idea," Kyra agreed. "Maybe we should ask around with the dwarves."

"Into the cave, then?" Haisen prompted.

Kyra bit her lip, remembering the last caves they had been in that they knew was the residence of a few; then she nodded. "Into the cave," she confirmed.

Their boarding plank was drawn out; then they stepped down from the ship and headed into the dark maw of the earth.

* * *

The dwarven cave managed to be at once _more_ cramped and _less_ cramped than the Dragon's Caves. On one hand, once they got through the short entryway, the cave was a much more open place; enough so, in fact, that there was a pedestal in the middle of it, atop which were two horns of glistening ice, surrounded by a small moat that, while not exactly impassable, did make it look beautiful. There were also a few small doors along one wall, with signs set up on each - a quick look at those signs revealed an inn, weapon shop, and item shop - and two other passages in the corners of the opposite wall (although one seemed to be guarded by a dwarf determined not to let anyone pass).

On the other hand, the ceiling seemed uncomfortably low; Malum's tall Black Mage hat kept scraping against it, prompting her to take it off. There was also much less lighting; a torch between each of those doors, to make the signs readable, a torch each on the short walls, two torches on the long wall, and one on either side of that pedestal. The end result was that it _looked_ like there was a lot less space than there was.

A dwarf nearby saw them enter and raised a hand in greeting. "Lali-ho, outside's!" he greeted, stepping towards them. "Wha' brings ye here?"

"Hi," Kyra replied, trying to pick her words carefully. "Um... We heard there were some... researchers, in the Tower of Ice?"

"Ach," the dwarf sighed, "ye mean the Ancien's. They've been watchin' the Fiah Crystal for months now, sayin' they're gonna 'make somethin' tha'll make every un's lives easier'."

Haisen blinked twice, confused by the statement. "I'm... sorry, 'Ancients'?" he inquired.

The dwarf looked surprised. "Well," he mused. "Ye must be from eastahly if ye haven' heard of the Ancien's," he mused, eyeing each of the four.

"Yeah, we're all from the Sasune area," Malum confirmed. Then, she went on to ask what the four of them were most likely thinking. "So, who are these Ancient guys?"

"A bunch o' pricks, is wha' they are," another dwarf called from across the cave.

Kimiko glanced in his direction before turning to the dwarf in front of them.

Said dwarf gave a sigh. "The Ancien's live in a village to the west end o' the continent," he explained. "They say those people were the firs' ones to discover the Crystals, and their blood is 'touched by the Crystals', and they're so much better than other humans, and blah blah blah. It's a pain in the ass the longer ye get to know 'em. They even call this thing the Ancien' Continent, and go' every un else callin' it that."

"I see," Kyra mused. "So, do we have to go through any sort of... procedure, before we go into the Tower of Ice?" she asked.

"Nah, ye can just all walk in if ye like," the dwarf assured them.

Malum scoffed, her head falling forward like she wanted to slam it on something. "You're kidding," she insisted.

"I'm no'," the dwarf insisted. "Thing is, though, I can' say them Ancien's are gonna be all tha' welcomin' if ye walk in on their researchin'. They go' a lo' of stuff in that place. Ye might wan' to ask around on the bo'om floor before ye star' climbin'."

Kimi bowed politely. "Thank you for the information," she told him.

"Ach, don' mention i'," the dwarf insisted.

The four Warriors started back towards the entrance.

And a cascade of men in smart attire rushed in through the entryway, meeting them with a crash, four-into-four.

Lying upon the cave floor, Kyra noted that for once, Kimi wouldn't be the only one to have been knocked down by her own actions. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find a multitude of papers scattering around them, each covered in writing. She got to her feet to see several men, dressed similarly to the researcher in Tokkul, trying to collect the papers - there were more than the four that had collided with them.

The dwarves seemed surprised to see them. "Wha' are all you doin' down here?" asked the one who had been speaking with the Warriors, approaching them as the cascade of men tried to collect up the papers. "I though' you lot weren't gonna be ou' of tha' Tower for another year or some such."

"We've got a problem," one of the researchers insisted. "Monsters started showing up in there."

That got everyone's attention. "Monsters?" Kimi echoed.

"Yeah," another researcher insisted, "monsters. _Fire_ monsters, what's more. Bombs, Balloons, Red Marshmallows - we're lucky our data didn't catch fire on our way out of there."

"Ach, ye don' have to worry," the dwarf insisted. "Tha' ice is enchan'ed with the Crystal's magic. A couple mons'ers ain' gonna pose a problem."

"We know _that_," a third researcher insisted. "I got my tongue stuck to that stuff for a week, and our candles didn't do anything to loosen it up. But we've got our machines and everything still set up around the Crystal. If those monsters start attacking something that wasn't there before-!"

Haisen groaned. "_Why_ did you leave things at the Crystal altar?" he demanded.

The researchers seemed to just now notice the four of them sitting there. "What's it to you?" a fourth demanded.

"_What's it to us?_" Malum demanded, getting to her feet. "You can't just leave things to mess with the Crystals! Those things keep the world safe!" Her arm gestured to outside the cave, wherever those monsters were.

"Yes, because that had _completely_ escaped us," a fifth researcher mused, his voice thick with sarcasm. "It's not 'messing with' the Crystal. It's just analysing it. The problem is that the _monsters_ might mess with _that!_"

Kyra sighed. "This is getting nowhere," she muttered. Then, louder; "Look, we need to speak to someone with authority. Who's in charge of your research project?"

That got the researchers panicking. "Elena," a sixth man realized. "Where's Elena?"

A seventh cursed heavily, rubbing his forehead. "Don't tell me she's stuck in there!"

"Don't even think about it!" Kyra shouted when the researchers started turning around. "You're gonna get yourselves killed if you run in there unarmed."

"And you kids are gonna do any better?" an eighth man demanded, turning to her.

In response, the Red Mage drew her knife and then her sword. Malum pulled her casting rod, a flame lighting on the end, and Haisen raised a hand sparkling with Cure magic. Kimi pulled out one of her bronze knuckles, setting her fingers against the rings.

"I reckon, yeah," Kyra admitted.

The dwarf stepped forward as the four of them stashed their weapons. "Look," he insisted, "ye Ancien's have been workin' way too hard to be runnin' back in'o that Tower so quick. Ye all rest here for a bi', and let these four go ge' your boss." Turning to the Warriors; "Ye four migh' wanna stop by the armoury before ye go, we go' a few pieces o' fire-resis'an' gear tha' you'll wanna take with ye."

"Maybe if we can afford it," Kimi admitted.

* * *

They couldn't afford all of it.

New magic-enhancing robes and ice-enchanted casting staves for Malum and Haisen; a slightly more durably fighting gi for Kimiko; a shield enchanted with ice magic for Kyra; a restock of potions, and a supply of Gold Needles for reversing petrification. There were better swords than what Kyra had received from the Vikings, but just this much had run the Warriors nearly broke; they elected to call it a gain, and soon the four of them were back on board the _Blue Dragon_, bringing it around the dwarven coast and towards the Tower of Ice. The tower had a proper dock made of solid ice like the rest of the structure; consequently, the walk off the ship was much less _downhill_ than it had been getting into the Dwarven Hollows.

"Fire monsters in an ice castle," Malum mused. "This is going to feel _so weird_."

"No kidding," Kimi agreed.

Kyra sighed, rolling her shoulders. "Well, we'll have to put up with it," she insisted. "The Crystal's here. And I'll bet my blade that these monsters are here because something _bigger_ is after the Crystal."

Haisen scoffed. "Come on," he insisted. "No one else here _uses_ a blade."

The Red Mage shot him a glare.

"I'll shut up now," Haisen murmured.

Malum raised a hand to quiet them. "Shh," she insisted. "Do you hear that?"

The four of them went quiet. After a short while, Kimi said, "Hear... what?"

"Nothing," the Black Mage observed matter-of-factly.

"Gods, Malum," Haisen protested. "I was half-ready to throw an Aero to stop something charging at me."

"But that's just _it_," Malum insisted. "If there was a bunch of _crap_ sitting around everywhere like those Ancient guys said there were, the monsters should be going haywire. Bombs are horrendously noisy when they get agitated, even before they start blowing up. And their boss... Elena? Fire monsters aren't gonna sit there and let her walk through them. We should be able to hear any fighting from here."

Kyra turned to her. "What are you saying?"

Malum drew her weapons - she had decided to keep her Mythril Rod to use in tandem with the Ice Staff from the dwarves. "Either those Ancients are giving us a bunch of B.S. about leaving their stuff behind, and they just wanted to rush back in here for another look at the Crystal... or this place is a twisting, winding _labyrinth_ that stops the noise from getting too far. And that means we can't just rush in there the way we usually do, or we're going to get our asses kicked."

"Do you have a plan?" Kimiko asked.

"Haisen," Malum mused, "you said mages can't be up-and-front on a fight, right?"

"Pure casters can't," Haisen corrected. "Kyra is fine on that front."

Malum bit back the urge to retort against his need to be specific. "Alright, then. Kimi, you take point. If you see something, try and take it down before it sees you. Kyra," she added, turning to the Ur girl, "you're at the back. Keep your hand on your gear and your eyes open. If something tries to sucker-punch you, cut it, cast it, or put your shield between it and you." Then, to Haisen; "You stay right behind Kimi so you can patch her wounds quick if she gets hurt. I'll be between you and Kyra so there's more between you and a sneak-attack.

"Are you worried about me?" the White Mage taunted, a smirk slowly appearing on his lips

"You're our healer," Malum snapped, rolling her eyes at him. "If you go down, we're boned. It's called strategy."

Haisen snickered. "I suppose you gotta make up for it somehow," he observed.

Malum was about to raise her rod to whack him when Kimiko caught her arm. "Let's just go," she insisted.

Kyra drew her sword and shield. "Kimi, lead the way."

* * *

The Tower of Ice was indeed a labyrinth - and more than that, every branch of paths was a dead end or circled back on itself. The fire monsters were plentiful - in addition to the Bombs, Balloons, and Red Marshmallows that the researchers had mentioned, there were canine Crocottas, and a type winged, tailed beast that Haisen identified as Myrmecoleons - and advised everyone to _stay away from_. "If you're unlucky, a touch from those things will petrify you - and Gold Needles aren't cheap." In addition, every so often they would run into a wider room with multiple exits - and an Adamantoise in residence that just _did not want to die_.

Kimi had about a fifty-percent success rate for 'take them down before they saw her'. They did indeed get back-attacked a few times, and one of them managed to hit Malum without touching Kyra, thus proving the Black Mage's strategy for putting an extra body between the monsters and Haisen.

The bottom floor had a couple chests in some of the dead-ends, with a couple Antarctic Winds within them that managed to stop Malum from getting too annoyed with the labyrinth. Eventually, they did find the stairway to the next floor - and as they arrived at the second floor, they were greeted by a surprising sight.

A woman in similar garb to the Ancient researchers, with blonde hair that nearly reached her waist, was surrounded by five or six Red Marshmallows. She wore a pair of fingerless gloves, and as the Warriors watched, she rushed up to one of the flans, landed a hit, and leapt away. None of the monsters looked particularly wounded, and the woman looked tired, as though she had been at this fight for a while now.

Malum was the first to act. Leaning to the side so Haisen and Kimi weren't between her and the monsters, she raised her Mythril Rod and shouted, "Blizzara!"

Her voice got the monsters' attention as the magic began; the Red Marshmallows were all mid-turn when icy blades ripped out of their bodies, causing them to fade out. One, two, three, four, five, six shots of Blizzara; the woman they had surrounded turned towards the Warriors as they stepped out of the stairwell, Malum spinning her Mythril Rod in hand.

"You can't whack a flan," the Black Mage insisted, "they're too soft."

A cry that sounded like something boiling caused them to turn; one of the Red Marshmallows had survived Malum's Blizzara. Her rod was half raised when Haisen held his hand before her to stop her; then he tapped the base of his Ice Staff against the floor, causing the head to glow. The flan started towards him... and was interrupted when a chunk of Blizzard appeared halfway into its head, causing it to fade out like its bretheren.

"What was that?" Malum demanded.

"The staves," Haisen insisted. "If you channel their power, you can cast a base-level Blizzard without using your own magic."

"That would have been nice to know before that sneak attack," Malum muttered.

The woman approached them. "Thank you," she insisted. "I was in a bit of a bind."

Kimi stepped forward. "You must be... Elena?"

"Yes," the woman confirmed. "You are?"

"I'm Kimiko," the Monk offered; then, beckoning to her teammates in turn, "This is Malum and Haisen, and that's Kyra."

Elena crossed her arms. "You picked a fine time to visit the Tower of Ice," she observed.

Kyra shook her head. "We were in the Dwarven Hollows when the researchers came in, having forgotten about you," she explained. "We told them we'd come in and get you."

"They didn't _forget_ about me," Elena insisted. "I told them to go on ahead. I need to shut down our analytic system at the Fire Crystal before the monsters attack it. We were halfway out the bottom floor when I realized we had forgotten about it."

Malum groaned. "How many floors does this thing have?" she protested.

"Three," Elena assured her. "Ground floor, this floor, and the next floor. The Crystal altar is in the middle of the floor, and you have to circle the whole damn floor like a snail shell before you can get to it - it's a little higher-up than the rest of the floor, but it's just the one room."

"Lovely," Malum mused, glancing up above her at what awaited them.

"Would you like an escort?" Kyra asked the researcher.

Elena looked relieved. "Would you? Thanks. I've got some Cure magic, and these," - here she raised her hands, revealing her gloves to be adorned in metal knuckles - "but no spells offensive enough to handle the Marshmallows, and I keep having to run from the Balloons before they blow up in my face."

Kimiko looked surprised at the sight of her weapons. "What... are those?"

"Sonic Knuckle dusters," Elena explained. "A little more defense than bronze knuckles, and they don't limit your fingers - plus, they speed up your punch."

The monk glanced at her own bronze knuckles, which she had decided to keep locked on her hands for the trip through the Tower. She had already started to regret her decision before they had found the Ancient; her fingers were getting sore from the metal pressing against them.

Elena noticed her look; with a soft chuckle, she pulled the dusters off her hands. "Here," she insisted, "they'll do you more good than they're doing me."

Kimi raised her gaze, and a particular glint in her eye that expressed thankfulness. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," Elena assured her. "Knock yourself out."

"That's a distinct possibility," Haisen murmured.

Malum elbowed him in the ribs. Kyra decided to let it slide. Kimi, if anything, didn't seem to notice what was said.

"If you've got some healing magic," the Black Mage insisted, "we'd appreciate an extra hand in keeping us up and going. Here, get between me and Haisen."

"You lot certainly know what you're doing," Elena mused.

* * *

The Ancient's healing magic certainly made the trek through the icy labyrinth easier. More chests waited in some of the dead ends, including a sword enchanted with ice magic that Kyra gladly strapped on. The top floor's snail-shell spiral made things much, _much_ easier - and yet, there were more monsters than on either of the other floors, leaving all five of them exhausted by the time they arrived at the stairs to the Crystal altar.

"Kyra," Malum panted, while the team stopped for a break, "please tell me you've got something optimistic to say about this."

The Red Mage reached into her pocket, drawing out the Antarctic Winds they had picked up on the bottom floor. "Worst-case scenario, these will do us some good if we take cover before they go off," she admitted. "Other than that, we're gonna have to put up a fight."

"Put up a fight?" Elena inquired. "What are you talking about?"

Kimi spoke up. "We figure all these monsters are here because something's after the Crystal," she explained. "And anything after the Crystal is going to be _big_."

Now the Ancient was intrigued. "After the Crystal?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

Haisen chuckled. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"No, I think I would," Elena insisted, looking around at them. "You four... are you... Warriors of the Crystals?"

"Yeah," Kyra confirmed. "You know about them?"

"I think so," the researcher admitted. "So, you four... you've fought monsters trying to take the Crystal's power before?"

"Kyra has fought _one_," Haisen corrected. "The rest of us, not so much."

Elena sighed. "Incredible," she observed. "They say the last set of Warriors was a few thousand years ago. I never would have thought I'd get to meet the Warriors of the Light."

That cast a quiet across the four of them. This was a new problem that they hadn't seen coming - knowing that the Crystals would choose Warriors, people would suspect their power to be that of the light. Kimi and Malum exchanged awkward glances; then the Monk got to her feet. "In any case," she insisted, "you're going to want to get out of here. The last Crystal monster Kyra fought _ate_ the only other guy in the area."

"I can't do that," Elena insisted. "Setting aside the fact that I wouldn't make it out of the tower alive on my own, the system is multi-purpose - we've just got it set for analysis right now. If something hits it the wrong way, it could risk damaging the Crystal. Whatever you guys need to fight, fight, but I need to shut the system down before I go anywhere."

Haisen sighed. "Fine," he insisted. "But if _anything_ goes wrong, you get the hell out of there, okay?"

Elena angled her head. "Well, yeah," she admitted. "I can do that."

* * *

The Ancients' system took the form of four massive plates on a rotating ring surrounding the Fire Crystal, connected to a large sequence of levers and switches. As the five of them stepped up - Kimiko, Haisen, Elena, Malum, and Kyra - they saw the bright crimson glow of the crystal, almost blinding.

Elena sighed in relief. "Good," she sighed. "The Crystal is alright."

The Warriors exchanged glances. The shine told them all they needed to know: the Crystal was most certainly _not_ alright.

Without a second thought, the researcher stepped towards the control panel.

And a _roar_ shook the altar, prompting the Warriors to draw their weapons.

Flames of bright _blue_ began to appear around the Fire Crystal; they started immediately before it, circled it for one loop, and continued forward before they could close the circle, expanding. As they grew, Kyra realized it was forming a creature; tail, body, four stout legs, and... _two_ long, jagged necks ending in a pair of heads with the mouths open wide.

Then the flames faded - and there was a _dragon_ standing there, covered in green scales, and roaring with such power that Kyra had to raise her shield to stop herself from going deaf.

Elena stumbled back against the wall. "What _is_ that thing!?" she shouted.

"Never mind!" Malum shouted. "Just run!"

The researcher ran, all right - but not out of the altar. Kimi realized she was running towards the control panel - and saw that the dragon was following her with the gaze of one of its heads. The Monk quickly rushed forward, only to trip - the timing of her stumble was such that the other head, rushing forward to take a bite out of her, snapped on air. Kyra quickly swung her Freezing Blade into the side of its head as Kimi got to her feet, rushing towards the head following Elena; and as it opened its mouth in preparation to lunge, she slammed a punch into the corner of its mouth.

The dragon's heads roared, one-two, turning on the Warriors; Malum and Haisen both slammed the base of their Ice Staves to the ground, causing Blizzard magic to form in their jaws. This trapped their mouths open for a moment; Kyra used the advantage to slash across the eyes of one head, while Kimi only landed another pair of punches on the bottomside of the other. Both of them managed to crush the ice inside, the shards flying out as sharp projectiles. Kyra guarded against the shower with her shield; when they cut across Kimi's arms, she only lashed her legs forward in Retaliation, knocking the head towards its other.

Elena was working with the machine at this; now she pulled a lever nearby, prompting the plates to rise up from around the Crystal. "It's safe!" she shouted.

"Then get out of here!" Haisen shouted, casting Cure magic around Kimi's arms.

Malum used the opportunity while the heads were stunned - and together - to throw a quick rain of Thundara around them. Kyra had to leap aside as the voltage danced between the two faces. Upon seeing the Black Mage with the afterglow of magic surrounding her, the dragon proceeded to _stomp forward_, its tail uncurling from around the Fire Crystal as it did so. Malum's heart sank, and she stepped back in shock.

Haisen quickly swept his staff forward, Aero magic forming between the heads with enough suddenness to force them apart. Elena, who had been running back towards the altar exit, couldn't act before one of the heads slammed into her, throwing her back towards the machine; she slammed into the side (fortunately, without hitting any levers) and fell to the floor, dazed. Kimi quickly slugged that head before it could notice the Ancient there; then she and Kyra ran back towards the mages, sliding to a stop (the floors in the Tower of Ice had much more friction that they had expected from such an immaculate surface).

Kyra dug out the Antarctic Winds, handing one to Malum and one to Haisen. "I've got a plan."

"Name it," Malum insisted, casting a Firaga over both heads - she had realized quickly that guarding the Fire Crystal did not make the monster resistant to fire itself.

"I'm gonna distract that thing," Kyra explained. "When its mouths are open, you throw those in. While it's stunned by the ice, I'll try to land as many hits as I can."

Kimi grabbed her shield arm. "You're not doing that alone!" she insisted. "I'll lend you a hand."

Kyra turned to her. "You sure?" she asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Kimi insisted.

The dragon roared, prompting the Warriors to turn back to it.

Malum adjusted her grip on her sphere. "Three."

Haisen drew his arm back. "Two."

Kimi raised her knuckled hands. "One!"

"_Now!_" the four of them shouted in unison.

Red Mage and Monk rushed forward together, each for one of the heads. Kimi hit the ground, digging her Sonic Knuckles into the ice to stop her slide as one head lunged forward, finding her _just_ out of reach; Kyra simply leapt when the other head approached, landing on top of it with enough stability to keep running. Malum and Haisen both hurled their Antarctic Winds, landing them inside as the dragon closed its mouths; the moment the surfaces of the casting spheres broke, ice _exploded_ inside it, causing its body to frost over. Kyra leapt from her neck as the ice raced across the surface; then she dug her sword into the join as she landed, causing the ice to crack as she dragged it forward.

Too late did she realize why the dragon had stopped advancing on Malum before it reached her; its tail was dug into the floor of the altar.

_Right below the Crystal!_

"No, _shit!_" The Ur girl leapt off the dragon's body, but the damage was done, the monster was freezing over and cracking, and as she watched the ice sealed it onto the floor of the altar.

And the cracks followed it, tearing open the tail and the floor it was dug into.

Elena opened her eyes as the floor of the altar tore open, and the Crystal fell further into the Tower of Ice.

* * *

Arca: _Ohoho, _things are getting serious now!

Draco: Yeah, Mulch tends to get real when things start going wrong with the Crystals. {sips cola} Of course, that doesn't mean Mulch getting real is a GOOD thing.

Arca: It never does, I'm afraid. Though it makes for good drama. *sipping tea*

Draco: {laughs} Well, here's hoping anything bad can be reversed.

Arca: Here's to hoping indeed. But...we got to wait for that! *turns to reader* Until the next chapter, folks!


	12. Lightless Flame

Arca: *singing* Tis the season to be- *looks around* …Christmas over already?

Draco: {offhand dope-slap} As much as I love Christmas music, you shouldn't assume that all of our readers share the sentiment.

Arca: *rubs face* Damn...well, at least we can tell them that we have a chapter for them. That's sure to take their thoughts away from my singing

Draco: Yes, indeed. {turns to readers} Apologies for the delay, but Chapter 12 is here!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

"The... the Crystal..." Elena uttered, slowly finding her feet once again. She stared at where the Fire Crystal once resided, and then at the hole where it disappeared from. She stumbled over to the hole, and carefully, peered down into it. The hole ran rather deep through all the floors; so deep that it only darkened the further down the hole had gone; squinting did naught to reveal the location of the Fire Crystal now.

Her horror and shock at seeing the Crystal vanish were shared by the Warriors who had just slain the dragon around it. They slowly approached the gaping hole, also looking down into the depths. There was a pained silence, the kind where you knew that you _seriously _messed up an important job. Then Elena was quick to fill the void of silence.

"Quickly, we must get to the bottom of the Tower; maybe it's only fallen so far as the first floor!"

With no other option in mind, the four were quickly led by Elena through the winding and circling labyrinth of paths once again - indeed, in more of a hurry than they had been led _up_ the Tower of Ice. The monsters had vanished, making the trip much less difficult than it could have been but that was of little consolation; the researcher and the youths could only hope that no harm or damage had come to the Crystal, and that they would find it waiting for them on the first floor.

Only for that very hope to be shattered when they arrived down there. Instead of the Fire Crystal levitating safely above them, they found yet another gaping hole within the floor. The feeling of dejection swarmed over all of them. Now what would they do? The Crystal had gone heavens knew where, and there was only more time wasted in trying to find it.

"Elena! Elena, you're okay!"

Elena and the youths spun on their heels to the voice, and discovering that it came from the first of the researchers that ran into the Kyra and the others early. Along with the researchers came some of the dwarves, obviously coming to check if the mission of retrieving Elena safely had been successful.

"Of course, I'm okay," The women insisted, rubbing the back of her head. It wasn't a lie, though she still had bumps and bruises hidden away. "Well... no thanks to these guys here." She glanced around to Kyra and her comrades, giving a genuine smile.

"What about the Fire Crystal?" A second researcher hastily asked, looking to Elena and the four youths for some comfort. "Is it okay?"

There was silence among them. Elena looked back to the four again as if debating whether or not to tell her fellow researchers about what had happened. But judging from the silence alone, the researchers could already tell that something bad had happened.

"Oh, no..." A third researcher shook his head, having feared the worst. "Don't tell me it's shattered..."

"Hardly!" Elena stepped up to the researcher in an attempt to calm him down. "It's just... melted through each of the Tower's floors." The way she put it was that of something that didn't sound bad. But of course, it came out worse than it was supposed to.

"_Melted_?" A fourth scrutinised Elena for a moment in such disbelief. "That can't have been! The Fire Crystal has stood within this Tower for such a period of time! How could it suddenly just melt through the floors?!" He sighed, mumbling under his breath, "I don't believe it..."

"You better believe it," Malum retorted, folding her arms as she watched the fourth researcher's head suddenly bob up. "And before you pin the blame on anyone here, you can blame that Two-Headed Dragon at the top of the Tower."

Before any of the researchers could enquire further, Kimi stepped forward, explaining, "We managed to freeze it. Though, it began to crack open, and its tail had dug into the altar... thus opening a hole for the Crystal to fall through..."

There was a thoughtful silence. There had to be another plan of attack obviously. But where to start, was one of the bigger questions here.

"So…where could it have gone?" A fifth asked the other researchers, and they too looked back with inquisitive looks. That was when one of the dwarves, that Kyra and the others had spoken to earlier, shoved through the small group of researchers.

"Ye'll have to look in the Sub'erranean Lake," The dwarf explained, folding his arms over. "If the Fiah Crystal's mel'ed through the floors, i's probably gone down there."

"The Subterranean Lake? You can't expect us to go down there!" A sixth researcher yelled, turning to look straight at the dwarf. Or, at least, to look down at him. "That place is crawling with monsters!"

"Then say bye-bye to your work!" Another dwarf piped in with a laugh that echoed off the Tower walls.

That was when the sixth researcher yelled in outrage to him, and some of the other researchers had joined in, also arguing with the dwarf. They had no strength in numbers, however; the other dwarves who had accompanied him to the Tower also stepped in to argue back. Elena tried her best to make her voice heard, to stop such silly arguing and bickering between the two groups, but nevertheless, the men continued onwards.

Then something within Kyra cracked. "Would all of you just _shut up_?!" Her screech bounced off every surface that could be found on the first floor, and all heads suddenly turned to her. She didn't say anything more for a few moments, and instead, inhaled deeply, so not to screech at anyone again. "Look... it's our fault. We can go down there and look for the Fire Crystal. It's only right if we do that."

The researchers looked to each other for several moments, muttering and nodding over Kyra's proposal. The first researcher soon looked back to Kyra, and nodded in approval to her suggestion. "It sounds like a much more suitable idea... we cannot afford to lose any more researchers in our endeavour," he added, looking towards Elena, who simply folded her arms and sighed.

Elena turned to the four youths with eyes filled with concern, and she asked, "Are you sure you four are up to it? The Subterranean Lake is certainly no walk in the park."

"We'll be fine," Malum nodded. "I think we can handle ourselves by now."

"Tha's all well and good..." The first dwarf stepped forward to the four, thumbs slotted into the pockets of his tunic. "But we're not askin' ye to go ahead and jump down tha' there hole. At leas' head back with us, and we'll ge' ye ready to head down there."

The dwarves were first to lead the way out of the Tower. The researchers quickly reunited with their leader, fussing over her and the machines they had placed throughout the Tower. That was when the remaining four decided to follow the dwarves back to the Hollows, but not before saying goodbye to Elena.

"So, what will you do now?" Kimiko enquired, clasping her own two hands tight together in a nervous manner. After all, with the monsters that had been roaming throughout the Tower of Ice, and the Two-Headed Dragon at the top, most of the machinery and work that the Ancients had been working on would have been destroyed by now.

"Honestly? I'm not quite sure," Elena admitted honestly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I think we've spent enough time here. Guess our work is just going to have to come to an end."

"Sorry for the bother we gave you..." Kimi murmured, clearly guilty of what had happened here.

Haisen couldn't help but let a smirk appear on his lips as he chuckled, "It's a habit of ours, coming in and messing things up."

"Nonsense!" Elena shook her head, looking to each of them with a look of reassurance. "If anything I don't know what would have happened without you four. For all we know, I could be dead, and the Tower of Ice would be in a far worse state."

"Maybe..." Kyra murmured under her breath, her eyes slowly gazing over to the hole that the Fire Crystal had managed to melt through.

* * *

The dwarves had been kind enough to take the four back to the Hollows safely before briefing them on how to get to the Subterranean Lake.

"Ye'll wan' to use this," The dwarven leader handed Haisen a scroll, which the White Mage had slowly taken off his hands. Clearly unaware of what kind of spell this held, the dwarf went on to explain, "The only way to ge' to the Sub'erranean Lake is by swimmin' yer way down there. Though, I'd say ye're all a little bit too fa' to fi' through tha' hole," He chuckled, and Malum glared at him, rolling up the sleeves of her robe.

"You're digging a hole yourself, here, mister."

"Tha' hole," the dwarf continued on, not taking notice of Malum's mutterings and clenched fists, "i's only big enough to fi' a-"

"Toad," Haisen interrupted in his reading over the spell.

"Exactly," the dwarf grinned, and nodded his head. "If ye want to head down there, ye'll have to transform into those slimy creatures and swim down there."

"Sounds easy enough," Malum murmured, her aggression fading on realizing what the dwarf had meant. She looked to the other girls, and raising an eyebrow, asked, "If anyone has an aversion to being turned into a toad, speak now."

Kimi shrugged, and looked back to Malum. Innocently, she replied, "I think toads are kind of cute."

"...No aversions then." Malum finalized, turning back to the dwarf, who nodded back in an eager manner for them to get going.

The dwarven leader soon led them to the waterhole that they would have to slip through. He instructed Haisen to cast the spell on his comrades and then himself, and soon enough, they could fit through and swim to the Subterranean Lake. Understanding their objective, Haisen had read over the spell once more so he could perform it to the perfection it needed.

"It's quite... big," Kyra observed, looking to the water in front of them, before glancing back at the dwarf, who just chuckled at her naivety.

"Not qui'e, lassie. Ye humans wouldn' be small enough to swim down there if ye tried. And I recommend ye don' try."

Soon enough, Haisen announced that he would perform the spell, having read it over one too many times. One by one, Kyra, Kimiko, and Malum had been turned into toads, and saving the best for last, Haisen managed to transform himself into a toad. Needless to say, it took the four several minutes to get used to their new forms. Their voices were as normal to one another as they were as humans; to the dwarf, however, all that could be heard was a serious of croaks.

"Alright," Kyra began, looking to the now not so humanoid companions. "The plan is this; we swim through to the Lake, go through any monsters we find down here, and make sure the Crystal is alright."

"Easy enough to remember." Haisen replied, already making his way over to the water. "Once we get through to the other side, I'll change us back to our normal forms."

"Good... I'm not sure I think toads are so cute anymore…" Kimi murmured, following after Haisen sloppily in her toad form. Each little hop she took, she managed to slip on her landing. She, for some reason, did not expect her form to be so slippery.

* * *

The Subterranean Lake was anything but warm and cozy compared to the Hollows above. It was dimly lit throughout the cave; the walls were chilling to the touch, and around every corner was always that one piece of rubble that got in their way, or the spikes protruding from the ceiling above. Water was most definitely not in short supply in this area, as water dripped onto the damp ground, often forming puddles in corners or dripping into the cavern's lake, which expanded throughout the length of the cave.

"It's so cold down here..." Kimiko murmured, rubbing her bare arms as fast as she could. The chill reached her easily, unlike her three other companions, who had robes and garments that shielded them from the chill. "I hope we find the Fire Crystal soon..."

"I hope we find it in one piece," Kyra sighed, leading in front with a troubled look. She had clearly thought the worst if they were to come across the Crystal in pieces. "If it's broken, who knows what the world will end up like."

"I've got a gut feeling it's alright," Malum proclaimed, looking to Kyra, whose silver eyes narrowed as they met the thief's green ones behind her. "I don't know how to describe it... but I just know it's okay. Things feel as they should be... like... they're in balance."

"If things were in balance, Kimi wouldn't be complaining about the cold." Haisen retorted, and could only chuckle a little when he faced Malum's reaction of a quick shove.

The four continued onwards throughout the cave, and yet, there was still no sign of the Fire Crystal anywhere. They were determined to continue on as far as they could within the Subterranean Lake to find it, but the further they walked on, the more monsters they seemed to encounter. Sea Devils, large fish type creatures with horrendously sharp teeth, often got in their way throughout their trek. They weren't difficult creatures to deal with; if anything, they were incredibly easy to strike down with Kyra's sword and Kimi's swift attacks.. Though frequent appearances from them were enough to get the companions frustrated the more they had to fight them off. And as if high numbers of Sea Devils were enough, Stalagmites became more of a problem.

Though less in numbers, the purple shelled Stalagmites were often much harder to defeat. Any of their attacks could petrify, and as Haisen mentioned before, Gold Needles didn't come cheap. When it came to battling them, a much more strategic approach had to be taken, rather than rushing through them. Malum started off any encounter with a Stalagmite by hitting them with Thunder spell, followed in quick succession by a Blizzard spell by Kyra, in the hopes that it would slow it down before it even had a chance to attack. Then, risking it, Kimiko threw a few punches in, all the while trying to avoid being petrified all at the same time. Haisen made sure none of his comrades would fall, as he usually did; the task of keeping the girls up in strength was something of second nature to him now.

It was tiring, to say the least. Some hours had passed since they had begun their trek through the submerged Lake, and still no sign of the precious Crystal. They were sore, they were exhausted, and they were anything but cold. These four were desperate to rest, no matter how important the cause of their mission was. They needed it, and Haisen wasn't hesitant to pick a particular spot they had come across.

"We'll camp here..." He motioned to one corner. It seemed sheltered enough, and the four hadn't seen monsters for quite some time now. "We need some rest. Finding the Crystal is just going to have to wait."

"I'll set up the tents then," Malum murmured, already making her way to the sheltered corner.

"I'll give you a hand." Kyra called, not hesitating in following after the girl. She'd do anything right about now to distract her from her worrying.

Kimi stumbled over to a nearby rock, slowly sinking down onto it. With her left arm propped up on her knee, she rested her head in her left hand, and already her eyes were drooping.

Haisen happily would have joined her. Alas, someone had to keep watch.

* * *

Though the four were all equally as tired, one had to at least keep themselves awake and be on the lookout for any monsters appearing by their tents.

Kyra made the wrong decision of being one of the first to keep watch. It gave her more time to be alone with her own thoughts, and being alone with one's thoughts at a time like this often bring unpleasant thoughts. As the girl sat beside a quick makeshift fire, with the embers all but dead, she peered down at the necklace around her neck. Kyra was thankful she hadn't lost it again after her first run-in with Malum. The necklace was one of the only things that made her feel closer to home whilst she was so far away from it. She had never been so far away from home for such a time, and now, with some challenges arising, she felt homesick. If she could, Kyra probably would have eagerly returned home into her mother's comforting arms, act as if she didn't have a destiny to fulfil. That necklace was her only link to home, to an easier time than the one was having right now.

At the same time though, this necklace had inadvertently caused her to wind up in the situation she was in now. If she didn't have this necklace, maybe that thief wouldn't have stolen any of Kyra's possessions. If she didn't have this necklace, Kyra wouldn't have had to chase the thief all the way to the Altar Cave, and in turn, be chosen as one of the Warriors of the Dark. Things could have been normal for her. She would be at home right now, getting on with the little everyday things that everyone got on with. Kyra would only be worrying about the _simple _things in life, not the ones that were completely out of her control. Yet... she didn't know where she'd be without it. She cherished it more than anything. Kyra gripped the necklace once again, and let out a sigh of frustration. Amongst everything, she didn't know where her feelings seemed to lie anymore.

"Kyra, it's my shift."

The voice barely got to Kyra at first. It seemed to be part of all the other sounds of the cave she didn't quite take in. Slowly, she looked up to find Haisen standing nearby the low, flickering fire his expression softer than normal. He must have been quite exhausted, because Haisen was anything _but _soft.

"Are you... sure, Haisen? Kyra replied in a low tone. "You still look tired."

Haisen simply shook his head. "I'd rather we were all a little tired, than three being revitalized and one suffering from exhaustion," he murmured, holding out his hand to help her onto her feet.

Picking up her feathered hat that she had set by her side, Kyra took hold of his hand, and was gently hoisted up onto her feet. As she brushed herself off from sitting on the ground, she glanced to Haisen, who seemed to avoid her gaze completely. "...Don't stay up too long, okay?"

"As if," The youth scoffed, folding over his arms, yet still not looking to Kyra. "You won't find me staying up longer than I need to."

There was silence for a few moments. Kyra stared at Haisen, who stared out straight ahead of them. He seemed... thoughtful. More so than usual. One could only wonder what went through Haisen's head at the best of times. Kyra sighed, and walking off, bid him a goodnight, before heading into one of the tents set up for the four.

As soon as she had gone, Haisen exhaled deeply as if he had been harbouring his breath for so long. He plopped to the ground beside the fire, which still seemed to slowly die out. If there was one thing the boy hated, it was things dying. Animals, plants, people... anything that died, Haisen detested. You could say Haisen was wary of death. It wasn't just the fact of life being lost, but what surrounded the common view of death itself. Hopelessness, despair, darkness... that was what Haisen aimed to work against. It was one of the very reasons why he took on the responsibility of learning White Magic. He wanted to keep life going for as long as he could, to bring hope to people, even if only a few. He believed he was going to go on to work for the light.

Grabbing a stick, Haisen attempted to keep the fire going for as long as he could, just until Malum would come out and fix it up. As he poked at it, Haisen sat further in thought. He didn't ask to be a Warrior of the Dark, so why should he have even continued to follow the path that the Crystals led them along? He could have simply escaped this destiny to carve his own path. But something pulled Haisen to the destiny the four all had to fulfil. The more he felt this pull, the more he began to almost understand the darkness. Haisen understood what Amina had said, how people believed darkness robbed people of hope. With the darkness Haisen felt, he didn't feel as if hope was being lost. But that was what confused him. He was taught that light was good, and darkness was bad. If darkness was not as it seemed... then maybe the light was not as it seemed either. Haisen cursed under his breath, still struggling to keep the dying fire alive. He assumed now that his comrades had little bother sleeping, or at least, didn't trouble themselves with such thoughts as his.

Though, little did he know that there was stirring in the tent next to his.

Kimi had been tossing and turning ever since she lay down to get some rest. She kept questioning things ever since she was thrown into the mix with Kyra, Malum, and Haisen; mostly questions of why. Why was she here? Why was she chosen? The only thing she was known for was for messing things up. She could admit that she extremely clumsy; she always was from a young age. It was when people started to use it as a defining part of her that it didn't make her any better with her clumsiness. Kimiko was always determined to prove people that she was more than just a girl with two left feet. But that posed a problem. When people stared at her, she'd get flustered, and trip over her own feet. When people bumped into her, s_he'd _be the one to fall face first onto the ground. Her defining trait was a curse. So, why would the Crystals choose someone who couldn't keep her own balance?

"Kimi, you okay?"

Kimi practically jumped out of her thoughts, and she glanced slowly to Malum, who lay on her back, and stared back at her. She went red, now only thinking that she probably kept Malum from sleeping with the amount of shuffling under the blanket that could be heard. "Sorry... I can't sleep all that well…"

Malum still stared at her, and turning over on her side to face her, asked, "You thinking too much?"

"...Yeah." Kimiko murmured, gripping her blankets. "I guess I am."

There was a quiet among the two for a few moments. Both thought the other had suddenly fallen back asleep once again. Surprisingly, Kimiko was the one to break the silence between them. "Malum... can I... ask you something?"

"I don't see what else I could be doing." Malum mumbled, staring up at ceiling of their tent.

Kimiko was quiet again for a few moments, trying to psych herself up to ask a simple question. "Am I... just some clumsy girl to you?"

Malum narrowed her eyes at Kimiko, who looked serious, if not incredibly nervous at the same time. She sighed, leaning her head on her hand. "Of course not. Why the hell would you ask that?"

Kimiko was taken aback by Malum's question for a few moments. She stumbled trying to give an answer, "I... well, I just..."

Malum interrupted her, giving her somewhat of a sterner gaze. "Look, whatever anyone's told you, you're more than what you make yourself out to be." She put up her index finger. "One, you're a decent fighter. You have your stumbles, but everyone does." She then held up her middle finger. "Two, you're a nice person. Too nice almost, but that stands out way more than your trips on level ground." Finally, Malum held up her ring finger. "Three, you're determined. You fall down, you get back up again. You don't let things get in the way. Now," She pointed at Kimiko, but her voice softened to that of a whisper. "Don't you ever let me hear you put yourself down like that again. You're much more than a clumsy girl." With that out of the way, Malum lay down, facing away from Kimiko.

For a few moments, Kimi lay there, thinking over what Malum had just told her. She never considered herself to be anything else than just the girl who drops everything and trips all the time. She began to realise, there was much more to the clumsy girl that she originally branded herself as. Maybe that was why the Crystals chose her. Kimi glanced over to Malum's laying figure. For once, someone told her that it wasn't her fault, that there were other qualities of her that stood out over her not-so-graceful footwork. She then realised that she wasn't alone in this journey. She had people around her, who would support her, who she would support, who all had similar thoughts and confusions over the Crystals and this destiny they had to fulfil. Kimiko smiled a little to herself, feeling somewhat more comforted by Malum's words. "Thanks, Malum... I needed that."

Malum sighed a little, her eyes shutting tightly for a few moments. This was when she realised she was going soft. She was never this soft. Not even with her own family was she this soft. She thought she was setting herself up for the simple life of thieving and plundering. For years, she stayed up late, planning when and where she would strike next, what she would steal, and how she'd steal it. Now, Malum was lying in a tent, with three completely different minded people, on some journey to 'restore the balance'. She liked a challenge; a thief like her learned to like challenges. But this was beyond her own abilities. This was beyond _all _of their own abilities. They were no more than a quartet of kids, and the Crystals decided to send them on a dangerous journey where for all they know, they could probably die on. That was not Malum's idea of her simple future.

The Black Mage turned, and stared up at the ceiling. Now she was just like Kimiko, tossing and turning over nothing. Except, this wasn't nothing. It was so much more. The more she thought about this journey the four of them, the more she got worried about each of her comrades. It took them away from their everyday life and dropped them into some crazy adventure. The more they worked together, he more they talked and got to know each other, Malum only found herself getting attached to them, and now she was almost afraid to lose them. It was just like with her family at home; sometimes, one of them wouldn't come back from their job, and later, they were found dead. That was something Malum feared; finding herself getting close to people, and those people being snatched away from her. The girl sighed, putting her arms over her eyes. She had to stop thinking, or else she'd never get to sleep.

The four continued on like this for the rest of the night. They slept for a bit, they sat on watch for monsters, and they had some thinking time for themselves. Come dawn, they knew they had a job to do. They couldn't just give up and feel sorry for themselves. The Crystals had chosen them for one reason; because they were capable of getting the job done. And that was exactly what they were going to do, starting with finding the Fire Crystal.

* * *

The Warriors of the Dark soon found themselves on the trek through the Subterranean Lake once again, feeling much more revitalised than they had before. Fighting against the hordes of monsters seemed to be easier on them, and there was more of a feeling of determination rather than dejection like there was before their rest. The latter of their trek was much more of a breeze than the first part.

Kyra led on, cautious of any monsters that might have looked to ambush them, of the Crystal that could have been lying in pieces all over the floor. But she found herself resonating with Malum's words from earlier; that things felt okay, they felt in balance. Those words alone seemed to comfort Kyra, and give her some hope to hang on to.

The path they walked along became narrower, less winding. The four knew that they were coming to the end of the Lake, and if the Fire Crystal wasn't found here, there was little hope to find it anywhere else. There were hardly any monsters down this end, odd with it being the bottom end of the underground cave. It gave more reason for the four to quicken their step, to let their defences down for a moment. As they approached further to the end, a light shone from around the corner; a familiar, brilliant light they gave some comfort to them. The same question echoed through all of the youths' heads. None hesitated to find the answer to their question. Even Kimiko wouldn't let her stumbling to get in the way of finding the answers she sought. The four practically sprinted around the corner, rushing to find what they thought it was.

And there, the Fire Crystal emitted that light itself, levitating directly under the hole it had fallen through from the Tower of Ice.

There were sighs and smiles of relief pouring out of the Warriors of the Dark. More noticeably, however, was the laughter that Kyra came out with. She seemed far more relieved than any of her comrades, even more so that she grabbed the person nearest to her, and practically squeezed them with relief. "It's okay! I can't believe it's okay!" She squealed with delight.

That person being squeezed just so happened to be Haisen, who in other situations, would have reacted much differently to this sudden hug. Yet, he hugged her back, sharing in her delight of finding the Fire Crystal in one piece. "Of course it's okay... it was just as Malum said, wasn't it?"

"You bet." The Black Mage smirked, as approaching the Fire Crystal. She knew from her instincts that everything would be alright. It wasn't the first time her instincts were right. As she grew closer to the Crystal, it suddenly shone brighter again, causing Malum to cover her eyes from this sudden burst of light. The remaining three's attention was also caught by this, and they too, followed in Malum's footsteps towards the Crystal.

_Warriors of the Dark... I will gift you with the power of shadows in my eternal flames. The light continues to surge and disrupt the equilibrium in this world... You must not give up, and allow this light to engulf the world. You must restore the balance; otherwise, many that are foolish may suffer at the hands of the light..._

Like their encounter with the Wind Crystal, the four experienced a similar situation. The light from the hole of the Tower of Ice disappeared, and the crimson glow quickly extinguished, leaving the four standing in the darkness of the underground Lake. Only a few moments later did the light return, revealing the Fire Crystal had been wrapped in the same protective darkness that had taken the last - a nearly black shadow at its base, lightening across hues of ruby before coming to a nearly white shine at its tip. Then, silence took over the underground once again. There was one question now only remaining.

Kimiko turned to the others, and quietly asked, "So... what do we do with the Fire Crystal now?"

* * *

Draco: Oh, how I love such a moment of 'What now?' at the end of a chapter.

Arca: I think it suited this situation. That tends to be me after doing some things.

Draco: And suit the situation it did. However it got down there, they're gonna have to find a way to get it back up.

Arca: Hmm... *scratches her head* It'd take a lot of backs to carry that thing back up to the top. Glad I'm not a Warrior of the Dark.

Draco: {laughs} I think it's pretty clear at this point that the Crystals would never choose us.

Arca: You never know! Stranger things have happened, after all...

Draco: {raises eyebrow}

Arca: Heh...maybe not then. *turns to the readers* Anyway, tune in next time to see how our heroes fare!


	13. Struggle Among the Seas

Draco: {furtively browsing Wikipedia pages}

Arca: What in Orience are you doing on Wikipedia?

Draco: Have you ever played a game of which you hate the gameplay, but love the story?

Arca: Quite often, yes.

Draco: Such a game was one of the first I owned for the Gameboy Advance. I was rid of it before I became enough of a story man to put up with it. The problem being that I cannot for the _life_ of me remember **anything** about what it was called. I remember some elements of the gameplay, and I know it was a story-fied remake of something 8-bit because it came _with_ the 8-bit one. And I THINK the characters looked a little bit like anime, but I'm not a hundred percent sure because I didn't know what anime WAS at the time.

Arca: Oh, so you have THAT problem...don't worry, I've experienced that many times...if only I could tell you what it is.

Draco: That managed to somehow ruin _and_ improve my mood.

Arca: Ah...c'est la vie. One day you'll find that game. If I can find the name of childhood games years later, then you can too!

Draco: And now I feel better. {closes Wikipedia tabs, turns to readers} Chapter 13, ready for reading! Do enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

"Lali-ho! Ye made i' back safe an' sound!"

Kyra was surprised to be greeted so cheerfully by the dwarves as she and her fellow Warriors stepped out from the access to the Subterranean Lake. As she glanced around, she realized that they had good cause - the researchers seemed to have vanished while they had been toading underwater.

"Hey," Malum called, returning the dwarf's greeting, also glancing around for a few moments. "Those Ancient guys take off already?"

"Ach, they buggered off righ' quick," another dwarf mused. "I think we owe ye lo' for tha'. We'd been wai'in' for them to ge' ou' of here for a while now."

Kimiko chuckled. "Not at all," she insisted. "We just... got lucky, really."

A third dwarf laughed at that. "I's an odd day when a Crystal ge's stuck in an underground cavern and ye can call tha' lucky," he observed.

"About that," Haisen prompted. "We don't have a way to get the Crystal-"

"Don' ye worry abou' that," a fourth dwarf assured them with a swift gesture of his arm. "Tha' hole in the Tower of Ice shouldn' have closed off ye'; we can lif' the Crystal back up through there."

"And don' go changin' the subjec'!" yet another dwarf protested. "Ye go' the Ancien's ou' of here. We're thanking ye. Take a complimen' and a few thanks. We go' a few rewards for ye."

Kyra stepped forward at this point. "As much as we appreciate the gesture," she insisted, "that Lake is a _pain_, and we're all a little tired from the trip back. If you could just let us rest for a bit, we'll call that reward enough."

"Ohhh, no ye don'," a sixth dwarf argued. "We'll no' call a stay a' the inn a reward, tha's jus' common cour'esy. Res' up if ye like, take the nigh' if ye wan'. We go' a proper reward for ye once ye're in any condition to accep' i'."

An exasperated sigh from Kyra; then she glanced back at her teammates, who all shrugged, before turning back to the dwarves.

"You know what? Sure."

* * *

To say that the dwarves gave the four Warriors a room at the inn would be generous - the entire inn was a _single_ room in the cave, with enough beds arranged along the walls to host most of the Ancient research party. It had been _much_ later than anyone had thought; the four of them gladly accepted the room, resting themselves in there - they took a row of beds along one wall (Kyra next to Haisen next to Kimi next to Malum). They waited until the dwarf at the counter had called it a night, dimmed the torches so they would easier sleep, and taken off for wherever his own quarters were.

Then the four of them got out of their beds, gathering close by on the floor between Haisen's and Kimi's beds, and they each drew out their tiny crystals.

Haisen drew his staff, whereupon he revealed an interesting trick by which to light the head with his Cure magic. The ensuing glow was a blue bright enough that it didn't change the colours of their crystals. Each of them was holding quite a few more than before - the five in spring green from the Wind Crystal were all still there, but there were also four more - and these were coloured the vibrant crimson of the Fire Crystal they had just met with.

"I thought so," Kyra mused, keeping her voice low. "New job classes."

Malum smirked. "Is this gonna be a regular thing?" she asked. "I think I could get used to finding precious stones in my pockets."

Haisen cuffed her shoulder lightly. "It's like the Crystal said," he whispered. "A gift of shadows. Every time we stop the light from overtaking a crystal, it helps to make us stronger."

Kimi picked out her new crystals and stuck the old ones back in her pocket. "Kyra, you got a magnifying glass after last time, right?"

Kyra drew out her magnifying glass and looked over the crystals herself, checking the gold shapes suspended inside (she didn't need the glass to check the emblems, so she set it down at her side. One of them was marked with a bow; another had what might have been the cover of a book; the third looked like it was holding a knife. The last one had the battle vow facing up; with careful fingers, she picked it out, holding it up to the light and looking it over.

The emblem was a shield.

"This one," she mused, pocketing her other crystals; then she picked up the magnifying glass again as she turned the crystal back towards the vow. "Let's see... _Guard... one's loved... guard one's... self._"

The surge of darkness caught them off-guard - it had been a while since they had changed to their current job classes and decided they were satisfied. When it faded, Kyra was feeling much heavier than before; her body was now adorned in steel armour, her four-crystal necklace dangling against her chest. "Woah," she murmured. "That's... gonna take some getting used to."

"A Knight," Malum observed. "You're our new defense."

"Wasn't I defense in the first place?" Kyra accused.

"No, like, _specialized_ defense," Malum insisted. "You'll hit more like that Warrior-of-the-blade from before than your Red Magic, but it's designed to guard. Pack a shield. Heck, pack two, in case you need them."

Kyra suddenly felt very comfortable in this armour. A smile rose on her face as she slipped the crystal into a pouch on the belt that had appeared around her waist, finding the other crystals in there; then she turned to Malum, handing her the magnifying glass. "Take your pick," she mused.

The Black Mage had been looking over her own crystals while Kyra had picked out hers; now she pocketed most of them and accepted the glass, holding the last one up to the light - the one with the knife. "Here," she mused, "I got a good feeling about this one." She twisted it to read the battle vow. "_Safety... in speed... Power in... precision._"

She was near enough to Haisen's staff that the flare of shadows cut out the light for a moment. When it was back, Malum was adorned in much... _sparser_ garments than before - a pair of black _short_ shorts that were almost hidden beneath a large, bright green sash around her waist, a bandanna of the same bright green, a white tank top that bared her midriff with a deep neckline, quiet shoes, and a pair of thin black gloves.

Haisen's hand went up to his nose.

Kimiko, too, was caught off-guard by the garb. "What... is that?" she asked.

"This is the classic 'thief by trade' look," Malum replied with a chuckle in her voice. "Light clothes so I can move fast, shoes designed to keep my feet quiet, and gloves to keep my fingers sneaky."

Kyra proceeded to slip her necklace under the collar of her armour.

"Oh, hush," the bandit reprimanded. "Haisen?"

Haisen still had a hand to his nose as he set most of his crystals down and picked up the one with the book symbol. He set it aside, swept the others up in one hand, and pocketed them in his robes before picking up his selection. He quickly swept his hand strongly across his nose - revealing a red stain on both that left Malum giggling - before taking the magnifying glass to read the battle vow. "I think I know what this one does," he admitted. "_Sharp mind... sharper words._"

Another surge of shadows - this one _not_ close enough to darken the staff - and when it faded, Haisen looked positively _studious_. He was wearing a long, open brown robe with dark trim and white cuffs. Beneath he wore a plain white shirt and dark blue leggings, as well as a large belt with a gold buckle; nestled over his eyes were a pair of half-oval spectacles with dark frames.

Kyra was impressed. "Whoa," she murmured. "That's looks... way tougher than it should."

"Clearly you've never had a tutor," Haisen observed. "This is Scholar wear. A little White Magic, a little Black Magic, and a little... extra perception."

"What do you mean by that?" Kimi asked.

In response, Haisen reached up to adjust the spectacles on his face - he set the knuckles of his right hand against the underside of the left frame and pushed them up lightly - and everyone saw the glasses _gleam_. "These aren't here because I can't see right," he insisted. "They're enchanted so I can pick out elemental affinities and other weak points. Without these I'm just a half-assed Red Mage."

Malum took that as provocation to snatch the glasses of Haisen's face and slip them under the pillow of the nearest bed.

Kyra gave the bandit a glare. "_Malum..._"

"Hey, I'll give 'em back!" she argued, somehow managing to shout and whisper at the same time. "I just gotta practice. If we run into whoever's pitting monsters against the Crystals, I'll bet you a thousand gil they've got something good in their pockets!"

Haisen rolled his eyes, reaching under the outer robe. "What makes you think there's even some_one_ in charge of those monsters?" he asked.

Malum turned to him with an argument halfway out of her mouth when he drew out a _new pair of glasses_ and flicked them open, sliding them onto his face again.

"Wha...? But... How...?" She turned back to the bed and stuck her hand under the pillow, coming up empty. "How did you do that?" she demanded.

The Scholar ignored her question, turning to Kimiko. "Your turn," he prompted. "Although you don't have to switch to one of these if you don't want to."

"No, no," Kimi insisted, "I want to." She already had a single crystal in her hand and had pocketed the others, and she accepted the magnifying glass from Haisen and looked closely at it - this was the one with the bow. "_Aim... unmatched... skill... unbound._"

Kyra and Haisen managed to exchange concerned glances in the time between Kimiko reading the vow and the darkness blotting her out. When it faded, Kimi was in a dark blue vest worn over a shirt in deep forest green, with long sleeves and a relatively high collar. Her feet were clad in dark hunting boots, and nestled on her head was a hunting cap with a white feather similar to - but distinct from - that in the Red Mage's hat.

Malum winced lightly on seeing what she was wearing. "That's kinda... risky, don't you think?" she asked Kimi.

Kimi turned to her, confused. "It's archery, right?"

"Yeah, that's Ranger wear," Malum confirmed. "Are you sure you wanna try something so... intensive?"

"I gotta stop stumbling _somehow_," Kimi insisted. "Maybe something that needs focus like this could help me improve a little."

Her insistence prompted a quiet sigh from the bandit. "Alright," she observed. "I'm not gonna try to stop you."

Haisen and Kyra didn't have much incentive to try to stop her either. The four of them simply called it a successful change and headed back to their respective beds - and they were asleep before long.

* * *

The next morning, the Warriors were led to a dwarven supply of rare weapons and told to "Take wha' ye need." Kimiko found a bow and a supply of sharp arrows, Kyra picked out an impressively sturdy shield, and Haisen located a trio of enchanted tomes. Malum didn't find anything exceptionally useful, but Kyra had had the foresight to not get rid of the Vikings' electrified dagger; before long, they were all armed and ready.

"Where ye off to nex'?" their escort dwarf inquired. "I'm sure ye go' somewhere to be."

Haisen spoke up at this point. "We ought to pay Cid a visit," he mused. "We're not gonna find much more on this continent. I'm sure he'll have some way to get us off."

"Canaan, then," Kimi observed. "Back towards Ur."

"Alrigh'," the dwarf mused. "Be careful en rou'e. I heard there's somethin' ge'in' tense around Cas'le Argus. Ye migh' wanna pay 'em a visi'."

Malum hummed thoughtfully. "I _thought_ I saw a castle on the way here," she mused, her voice all but screaming 'sneaky plan'.

Kyra elbowed her in the side. "We'll be careful," she assured the dwarf. "Don't worry."

And yet, as they made their way out of the Dwarven Hollows, she had the strangest feeling that worry was not unfounded...

* * *

Back on board the _Blue Dragon_, they ran a quick check of the ship to make sure everything was in order. Kyra realized with a minor shock that the Vikings had _loaded all of the cannons_ \- thirteen to each broadside, two chase cannons loaded with chain shots set on the prow of the deck, and a heavier cannon with a much larger payload in the maw of the Nepto Dragon - and kept a stash of flints near each one so they could be struck to fire. Haisen elected to take the helm again as they pushed out from the Dwarven Hollows - and everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that he could furl or loose the sails with a quick cast of Aero magic if he was careful. Malum said she would take position on the crow's nest, although she really ended up pacing on the topsail of the foremost mast; Kyra found herself at the prow, enjoying the feel of the wind in her face; and Kimiko set up some impromptu archery practice below deck, wanting to get into practice before things got serious.

The Ranger had just come back up after a round when Malum shouted from above; "What the heck!?"

Haisen raised his gaze. "What's wrong?" he called.

"Just off the right!" Malum shouted. "That's that castle the dwarves mentioned, isn't it? It looks like it's fighting something!"

After a moment's confusion from her orders, the Scholar glanced off the starboard side of the ship - and he was shocked at what he saw. He could indeed see the castle in the distance, and there was a ship with crimson sails nearby - and from both sounded the fire of cannons, and were seen the collision of cannonballs.

"Son of a-!" Haisen cranked the helm to starboard, causing the _Blue Dragon_ to slowly arc towards the fight. "Hold tight! This could get ugly!"

That fight was rather one-sided. The men of Castle Argus were doing everything they could just to man their cannons and keep their men safe. The attacking ship - the _Red Phoenix_ \- was moving too swiftly for them to land a hit, and their every broadside blew one of the cannon towers to pieces. They were down to one tower, now, and the ship was already moving into position to fire.

The captain of the _Red Phoenix_, standing at the stern, was about to give the order to fire when the man in the crow's nest shouted down; "Warship off larboard!" The cry set worry into the crew, and as the captain turned he was horrified to see the vessel turning towards them - a swift-sailing thing with sails of royal aqua, sailing a flag marked with a hammer and shield.

"That's a Viking vessel!" he exclaimed, dashing to the edge of the ship. His spyglass was in his hand in an instant, and he was horrified when he saw the Nepto Dragon on the figurehead. "Damnation, I think that's their _best!_"

"Orders, sir?" the men asked.

The captain groaned, glancing towards the castle - not finished, but in no condition to return. "Argus ain't going anywhere," he insisted. To his helmsman; "Hard to port! We'll make fine work of them if we can fire on them from close enough!"

Haisen certainly didn't fail to notice the ship turn away from Argus - and far too swiftly. "How are they...? A ship can't turn like that! Are you sure that's not a monster?"

Malum was still perched on the topsail, and her bandit-sharpened eyes noticed something gleaming on the stern just before it slipped out of sight - something _arcane_. "They've got mages, I think!" she called down. "There's something shining on their ass end!"

The observation confused Haisen. "Shining on the stern?" he murmured. "What would...?"

"The Ancients." Kimiko's voice caused Haisen to turn - the Ranger had showed up while he had been focusing on getting the ship on course towards the clash, with her bow over her shoulder. "Remember what that guy in Tokkul said? They're using constructs that run on the Crystal's light. That must be an Ancient ship! That's how it's moving so fast!"

"Ah, hell," Haisen muttered. "Kyra! Prepare the chase cannons!"

"What?" Kyra exclaimed.

"We just need to take out their sails!" the Scholar insisted. Then, to himself; "I hope..."

Kyra knew the cannons were already loaded; their weight meant it took a lot of force to aim them. She managed to get them centered on the sails and drew out a flint from the stash. "I'm ready!"

Haisen scoffed angrily. "Fire!"

The Knight struck the fuse of one cannon with the flint - and the weapon _boomed_ as the chain shot flew. The Ancient vessel managed to bank to the side, but the shot still tore through one of the masts - and Haisen's heart sank when the ship _failed to slow_ as the sail tumbled into the depths. "Ah, crap, they're not sailing!"

He didn't have time to regret the decision to fire; the ship had righted its course two ship lengths to their larboard side, and with a gasp Haisen realized they were preparing to fire.

"Oh sh-! _Brace!_"

Kyra and Kimi threw themselves to the deck, and Haisen hunched low against the helm as the Ancients' captain yelled, "Fire!" The cannons boomed at once, their shots slamming into the _Blue Dragon _mercilessly - fortunately, the Vikings were no slouches at shipmaking, and the broadside didn't do much more than give the deck a nasty shock. Malum, however - perched as she was upon the topsail - had no such stability, and when the attack connected she was thrown from the mast. A scream echoed across the water as she tumbled; she managed to right herself into a proper dive and hit the water near the prow more-or-less safely.

Kimi was on her feet in an instant. "Malum!"

She rushed to the railing to find the Thief clinging to one of the starboard cannon ports near the stern, with her legs still hanging under the water. "I'm okay!" she insisted. "Don't worry about me! Deal with that ship!"

The Ranger nodded, pulling her bow off her shoulder and drawing an arrow as she turned. The ship was at their stern at this point, and Haisen quickly cranked the helm to port. The Ancients righted their course much faster, and with a low growl the Scholar yelled, "Kimi! Take the helm! Kyra, ready the other chase cannon! When you get a shot at their mast, take it!" Kimiko quickly rushed up and grabbed the wheel; the moment she had a hold on it, Haisen released it, drawing out one of the books - one with a cover of bright crimson. He turned the pages as fast as he could without damaging them - he had read the books before they had boarded, and he knew what he was looking for, but he _couldn't remember which page it was on_.

The boom of a cannon sounded from the fore, and the other mast of the Ancients' ship was stuck; this one tumbled across the deck, disorienting the crew and nearly taking out the helm. Kimi still had the ship turning hard to port, and as one broadside turned to face the red-sailed vessel Haisen found what he was looking for; the book lifted out of his low hand as he set his finger onto the runes of the page he was on.

"_Yami no honō!_"

He lashed his hand towards the side of the ship - and every cannon on that side received the smallest of blazes upon its fuse, each just a split second after another. The flames were more than enough to fire the cannons, and the wave of iron hurled through the air. Only a sharp turn on the Ancients' part stopped the _Red Phoenix_ from taking the broadside full-force, and that left the ships sailing parallel to one another - Malum, still clinging to the starboard side of the _Blue Dragon_, nearly found herself crushed between the Viking vessel and the Ancients' ship. Thinking quickly, the Thief grabbed the opening of one of the Ancients' cannon ports and pulled herself up, getting enough of her legs out of the water that she was able to scramble across the side of the ship.

Haisen had no reason to believe the Ancients wouldn't fire when they noticed the ships' positions; he quickly turned to Kimi at the helm. "Release the wheel!" he shouted, trading out his crimson tome for one with a cobalt cover. Kimi didn't hesitate to let go of the wheel, stumbling back as she did so - helmsman is a tiring position on a ship - and Haisen quickly found his page and slammed a finger to it.

"_Yami no kōri!_"

A shard of ice appeared between the starboard anchor and the hull of the ship, pushing it out just enough for it to sink, and Haisen quickly closed his tome and cast an Aero spell to furl the sails as the anchor hit the seabed. The _Blue Dragon_ promptly banked to the right, and Kyra, Haisen, and Kimi all braced themselves as it rammed into the Ancients' vessel without warning. Nobody on board the _Red Phoenix _had a chance to react before the Viking vessel slammed into it, the crew falling to the deck or off the railing - Malum, scrambling across the stern, lost her grip momentarily, but managed to recover before the ship left her behind.

Kyra was on her feet in an instant, racing up the _Blue Dragon_'s prow and leaping to the Ancients' deck as she drew her sword and shield. She landed near the helm and drove her sword between the spokes to trap it in place, keeping it on whatever course it was; the helmsman was almost on his feet when she slammed her shield into his face, knocking him back down. The crew tried to retaliate to her boarding, but Kimi still had her bow - she was hardly a crack shot yet, but her arrows were threat enough that the crew tried to take cover every time one flew, and Kyra was able to take them out bare-handed (well... gauntlet-handed) with nothing but her shield to defend herself.

Most of the crew was unconscious or cowering when the captain pried her sword out of the helm, vaulted the wheel, and landed before her with the blade raised.

"Who the hell are you?" he snapped.

Kyra braced her shield before her. "I could ask you the same!" she snapped back. "Why were you attacking the castle?"

The captain laughed tauntingly. "For all your fighting skill, you're all but a child!" he snapped. "I'm under orders from Kai Ryu! If he tells me to rain iron on Argus, I do it! I don't get paid to ask-"

He was silenced when a blur of green and white slammed into him from above.

Kyra was thoroughly confused to see _Malum_ sprawled across the captain. Her Spark Dagger was impaled in the deck next to them, and the impact had knocked her sword out of his hands. Thinking quickly, she snatched up the sword as Malum struggled to rise; upon seeing the captain was still beneath her, she quickly slammed her palm into his chest and pulled her dagger out of the deck.

"Okay, that happened," Malum groaned.

"Thanks for the save," Kyra mused; then she turned to the _Blue Dragon_, which was immobile against the _Red Phoenix_. Haisen had retaken his place at the helm, and Kimi had been sniping from next to him; the Knight quickly called to the Scholar, "What do you want us to do with these guys?"

The Ranger turned to Haisen. "There's a brig below decks," she reminded him. "I think there was enough room between all the cells that we could take them to Castle Argus on here."

Haisen nodded. "That could work."

* * *

"Thank you for your aid, brave Warriors."

King Argus had been most thankful when Kyra, Kimiko, Malum, and Haisen had arrived at his castle with the _Red Phoenix_'s crew at arrowpoint. The prisoners had been escorted by the castle's soldiers to the prisons, and the King was now speaking to the Warriors of the Dark in the entrance hall of the castle.

At the King's thanks, Haisen only shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he insisted. "We happened to be passing by and figured there was something suspicious about the attack. The dwarves to the north mentioned things were, uh... 'getting tense', so..."

"Tense...? Ah, the Ancient leader," the King realized. "A man by the name of Kai Ryu arrived here not long ago, requesting that we allow a fleet of ships to dock near the castle in preparation for his dealing with some business near Canaan. I refused, for I saw no reason he might need an entire fleet in that region. He departed in a foul mood, and I thought nothing further of it until the _Red Phoenix_ opened fire upon the castle."

Kimiko set her hands on her hips. "What was he gonna do in Canaan that would need a ship in the first place?" she wondered aloud.

The King angled his head from side to side. "I suppose I oughtn't say it was in _Canaan_," he admitted, "and his actual destination only confused me further."

Malum's eyes widened. "He... didn't say his business was on Dragon's Peak, did he?"

She couldn't keep the worry out of her voice, and the King gave her a concerned look for a moment; then he shook his head. "No, he didn't."

The bandit breathed a sigh.

"He said it was in Ur."

* * *

Arca: *spits out tea, choking a little* Did I just hear what I thought I heard?

Draco: {wipes tea off face and monitor} ...I wager, yes.

Arca: Huh...now what could they be going there for? Some scrolls? I hear Ur is good for magic.

Draco: You know, you're right... {tosses tea-soaked towel in Arca's face} ...if the magic you're looking for is Poisona. Does a guy whose name includes the word _dragon_ sound like he needs a rookie White Mage's superfluous status spell?

Arca: *holds the towel out with one finger* Well, why would a person like _him_ waste his breath on Ur? Think about it; if the Ancients decide to attack Argus, then why not Sasune? Go big or go home!

Draco: Think like a Fantasy, Arukuu. Why would you seek the reflection of sunlight upon gold... {traces circle around own head} ...when you could try to blot out the sun? {makes diamond shape with fingers}

Arca: *sudden narrows her eyes* ...mm...hm...touché.

Draco: {chuckles} Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna try and find that game again. {goes back to Wikipedia}

Arca: Dedication; that's what I like, Draco! *turns to the readers* Just what is going on here? Will Draco ever find that game? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	14. Ancients' Wrath

Arca: *huddled under a blanket, with controller in hand, and laptop in front* Must…re-complete…Type-0…

Draco: {closes browser irritably} I see ONE of us is having a good time. My search is fruitless.

Arca: *sighs* Damn your PS4 for erasing that game data. You can't trust damn machines these days.

Draco: What? No, not my game. I mean, not my _0-ing_. I'd been meaning to get around to wiping that anyways, but I enjoyed abusing Rem too much. {points at browser} I mean my search for that _GBA_ game.

Arca: Wait, wait... *squinting at the browser* You're _still_ looking for that?

Draco: **YES! **I've tried everything. Wikipedia, CoolROM, even TV Tropes! I'm tempted to figure out _time travel_ just so I can go back to before I sold it and get the name.

Arca: I dunno, Draco... *turning back to the laptop* Time travel's pretty hard to work out.

Draco: Fair enough. I don't even have a baseball bat. {turns to readers} Chapter 14, all! Knock yourselves out!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

"U-Ur…?" Kyra uttered, her voice shaking. King Argus reaffirmed her fears, not quite understanding the girl's panic-stricken expression. She couldn't even hear his statement. She couldn't seem to hear anything with her heart beating so loudly in her ears. Then her eyes suddenly widened, as if she had only just remembered something. Without even look at her comrades, or the king, Kyra nearly tripped spinning on her heels as she dashed towards the doors leading out of the throne room.

"W-wait, Kyra!"

She still couldn't hear anything. Kyra just sprinted as fast as her legs could take her, ignoring Kimiko's cries. As she shoved passed workers and confused onlookers, the girl had one goal in mind, and her mix of determination and sheer panic only caused her to sprint harder than ever. Kyra found herself enveloped in the light outside the castle, having burst through the open gates. Almost blinded by the bright light of day outside, she continued to run on, despite her legs aching. The _Blue Dragon _wasn't far now; no, it couldn't have been far now.

The only thing that had stopped her was something grabbing her from behind, which caused her sprinting to cease rather abruptly. For once, it wasn't Kimi falling onto the ground, but Kyra, and on the top of her back was Malum, struggling to get a hold on her. Nonetheless, Kyra struggled against her comrade, who tried to hold her down. "Let go of me!" She screeched, flailing her arms back and forth, trying to somehow knock Malum off her back, who already lost patience with her.

"Kyra, just calm down!"

How the bandit had managed to pin her down while she was still in full Knight's plate was a mystery, but that didn't stop Kyra from trying to fight her off. "Calm down?!" she screeched. "My village is going to be up in _flames _if I don't do something about it!"

Malum's tackle had given Kimi and Haisen enough time to catch up to Kyra, deeply concerned about her sudden rashness. The Scholar was quick to get down to Kyra's level, almost seething with the rebuke he came out with. "Kyra, you know how dangerous these people are. You saw how the Ancients commandeered that battleship, what's to say they don't have the same set of skills on land too?"

"That's _why_ I have to get to Ur!" Kyra protested, still struggling against Malum's tight grip. "Ur can't handle an attack of that scale; nothing will be left if we don't get there before they do!"

"Then don't leave us behind," Kimiko murmured softly, cautiously holding out her hand to Kyra. She gave Malum a pleading gaze, silently telling her to let go of Kyra. Reluctantly, Malum had done so, and she turned her gaze back to the victim, who carefully propped herself back onto her knees once again. Kyra stared at Kimiko's hand for a few moments, before she slowly took it, and managed to get onto her feet with the help of her comrade. Kimi gave a comforting smile, "You're not going to go through this alone. We're here to help too, you know."

Kyra nodded, feeling a little more comforted by Kimiko's words. Yet, her utmost fear still lay with Ur, and now she knew there was no more time to waste.

* * *

The four rushed into the small village, breathless as they gave the scenery a long look. No fire. No signs of skirmishes. Everything looked the same as it did before Kyra left Ur the last time. That didn't mean it would stay this way forever. Kyra ran ahead of the others, beckoning them to follow her as she sprinted to the far side of the town. She found the same small, faded white house, with its awkward door, and she couldn't help but barge through it.

Amina had been sitting on the same dull sofa that had been here as long as Kyra remembered. She had been sewing something before Kyra burst through the door, and dropped it as soon as the door swung open and banged against the wall. She met her daughter with wide eyes of what could have been disbelief for a moment, but quickly turned to unease. Rushing over to her daughter, she asked her, "Kyra, what's wrong? What are you doing back-"

"Mom, you need to get out of here," Kyra hastily interrupted her, also having rushed to her and grabbing her arms tightly. Her mother could only stare back with the same uneasiness, mixed with confusion. Kyra couldn't help but shake her mother, pleading with her mother, "You can't stay here; there isn't any time to hang around like this!"

"Kyra, what's going on?" Amina gripped her daughter's arms, surprisingly calm for feeling apprehensive of what Kyra was so anxious about.

"We've got a squadron of Ancients heading right for Ur," Malum explained as she and the others stepped inside, explaining the situation in place of the agitated Kyra.

"Ancients?"

"It's a long story that we don't have any time to explain," Haisen said quickly, already forming some sort of strategy. "If we can evacuate the village before their arrival, then we can-"

Haisen's hastily formed plan was interrupted by a series of screams and yells outside. The commotion could have only meant one thing. The five souls in the house stood in silence, staring for several moments, before Amina let go of Kyra, and ran out the door. Kyra hastily followed her, with her comrades doing the same thing. Once they found themselves further up the village, they couldn't believe what they were faced with.

There was something _flying_ above Ur. After a brief moment, Kyra realized that it was an _airship_, though, not one that could have been considered part of Sasune's forces. It was a mighty vessel in white and gold, with propellers whirling where the sails ought be, and what looked like legs emerging from the hull, such that it could touch down on earth rather than water. The figurehead was a roaring tiger, and men were leaping from the deck - as they neared the rooftops of the village's buildings, they were lifted by what _looked _like Aero magic, slowing their falls so that they landed safely. Someone was standing on the figurehead, tall, proud, and with such jurisdiction about him. But once the men who had leapt had all landed, the one perching fell forward.

He landed not gently with the wind, as the others had, but with force enough to crack the earth beneath him.

This man looked _dangerous_. His skin was icy pale, and his hair was platinum blond - long enough to obscure his face, but not so long as to make him appear effeminate. His body was adorned in a white suit, the shirt of which bore no sleeves, the leggings of which were slightly loose for mobility; his hands were wrapped in fingerless black gloves with white cuffs, and his feet hidden in shoes that at once looked formal and functional. At his left hip was sheathed a sword, the blade of which was long enough to give him reach, but not so long that he would require both hands to hold it safely; the hilt was most curious, for it looked like angel's wings, the tips of each wing's feathers angled to guard its grip. On his right arm was a tattoo; 光 _hikari_.

Light.

With what seemed like the entire population of Ur around him, the man slowly rose so he was standing tall, glancing around at the people with eyes of piercing gold. Their hue seemed to have a charming way about them, one that seemed almost inviting. Yet, behind these eyes was very much a different story; the eyes of a man with determination. Kyra reached for her sword, but a hand stayed hers before it could connect with the grip; the Warriors all turned to Amina to see a look of concern in her eyes. She glanced down at the Knight, and a wordless understanding passed between mother and daughter.

Then she released Kyra's hand, and the Knight beckoned for her fellow Warriors to follow her as she made her way through the crowd, intending to approach the entrance to the village. Despite their occupation, all of them noticed when someone stepped to the inner edge of the crowd, shouting at the man standing there; "Who are you?"

The man turned to him, and spoke with a voice of authority. "I am Kai Ryu, of the Ancients. I am here in pursuit of a threat to this world."

Someone else spoke up, speaking the thoughts of those within Ur whose ears perked up at the very word; "What do you mean, a _threat_?"

At this, the man smirked.

"Allow me to tell you a story, if I may."

* * *

_"A good number of years ago... How many was it? Fifteen, at least, though I feel it can't be so far as twenty."_

It was just another day in the Village of the Ancients. The elders were in prayer. The young adults were at work. The children were playing, in the many and varied ways children will. The town was placed in a rather secluded area at the far south-west edge of the Ancient Continent, surrounded by a vast number of forests. As if it hadn't been secluded enough, the structures of the Ancients' homes were built up on higher terrain of land, making the trek to this place all the more difficult for many.

The young Kai Ryu was part of a small group of to-be swordsmen who were fencing at the edge of town - and the best among his friends. It was an achievement he was all too proud to work on; if he kept fighting this well, he could soon go on to be one of the strongest among not only his friends. No sooner had he disarmed his opponent when he caught sight of someone approaching the village - no, not just one approaching, but quite a few - and his wooden weapon fell from his hand; when he saw the way that half of them were limping, he quickly took off, further into the village, to alert the adults.

_"A group of travellers arrived at the Village of the Ancients, calling themselves 'Twilight'. We were all taken aback by the moniker, but they insisted they meant nothing by it. They were being pursued by a group of assassins known as the 'Blades of Dusk', and hoped that hiding behind such a menacing name might deter the trail."_

"Please," the village elder insisted, touched upon hearing the group's story. "I insist you rest in my home. We will care for you as best we can. Worry not."

At his words, the leader of the group - a man with blazing red hair - only gave a sigh of relief, bowing his head. "Thank you, elder. We'd heard that the Ancients were generous to visitors, and I am thankful that they were not mere rumours."

_"We welcomed them into the village, providing hospitality and sanctuary. Twilight was a group of eight - four men, all weary of battle, and four women, awaiting children. A few days after they arrived, their children were born; the first at dawn, and the last before midnight struck. We took measures to ensure all four children survived - one boy, three girls."_

The sun was setting in the distance, creatures of all shapes and sizes were returning to their homes for the night, and as the young swordsmen prepared for their last fight of the day, a man's voice called out; "Boys! Time to call it a day!"

Most of the other boys were quick to obey this order, and would have quickly started to pack away their equipment. All except one, however. Kai Ryu sighed, turning to the man stepping down. "Father!" he protested. "Now?"

"Yes, now," his father - a large man by the name of Vara - insisted. If one person could keep things moving along in this town, it was this man. It could have been on account of his size, and his booming voice, but people rarely admitted that was the case. "It's getting dark."

"We've only one fight left!" Kai Ryu argued. "Can't we wrap this up?"

Vara shook his head. "Your last fight always takes ages," he protested. "It'll be past midnight before-"

He fell silent suddenly, catching Kai Ryu off-guard. "What?" he demanded.

"Boys, get back."

Confused, the swordsmen followed his gaze to the distance. It seemed the boys had a habit of being there when people arrived, but this was a much less favourable approach - a large crowd of men, all carrying torches, their figures outlined in a menacing manner against the slow setting sun.

_"The night after they were born, we were approached by another group - this one much larger, a swarm of men all clad in hooded robes of menacing, shadowy white. The leader spoke with a soft voice, introducing himself as Bokyaku, the leader of the Blades of Dusk."_

On hearing the introduction, the elder parted his hands with a gasp. "You-!"

The leader raised an eyebrow. "You have heard of us?" he inquired.

The elder said nothing, but the actions of the village's men spoke for him; all of them drew swords and knives, the sounds of blade against sheath causing Bokyaku to lower his head, one hand going for his opposite hip.

_"We all took up arms, intending to drive them off, but he drew a weapon - a sword whose edge shone with a prismatic light - raised it above his head, and chanted seven words that echoed through the night, though he did not raise his voice."_

The way his words reached everyone clearly stopped them from charging him; his weapon gleamed, its multicoloured edge turning pure white - and everyone began to scream as light consumed them. Even Kai Ryu, who had stayed behind against his father's wishes, had only time to raise his wooden weapon before him before he could see nothing.

_"Everyone in the village, who was not indoors, was consumed in a shining light. It did not bring us harm - but, as I'm sure you will understand, it did set us into a slight panic. Can you imagine, your own body glowing in such a way that you cannot even see your surroundings? That a full moon, in a cloudless sky, seems dim, even after the light has faded?"_

When at last the light vanished, everyone was still there. None of the Blades of Dusk had moved a muscle, and even Bokyaku was only now lowering his sword; his voice was still as soft as ever as he spoke.

"I understand that our name is not the most inspiring. Our attire, though meant for function, may come across as frightening. And with those considered, arriving at sunset does nothing to earn us welcome. But do not misunderstand, we are here with only the noblest of intentions."

_"Bokyaku took no action to strike us while we were blinded. He told us he had come to the village pursuing a darkness that threatened the world in which we walk. He told us, 'If the darkness does not fall, we will all of us die before we can see light embrace this world.' He asked everyone in the village to come before him, that he might shine the light of his sword upon them."_

"We do not _serve_ the sunset," Bokyaku concluded, setting the flat of his sword against his palm. "These are the blades that will _fell_ the dusk."

The Ancient elder nodded. "Very well," he insisted. "We will accept your... judgement." Despite the shock he still had from these previous events, he turned to Vara, and instructed him, "Gather everyone."

Vara shook his head. "Even them?"

The statement caught Bokyaku's attention. "...Them?"

_"There were only twelve in the village who did not. Bokyaku was very understanding when we told him that they had good reason to not come forth. Four of them were women, who had only just given birth the previous day. Four of them were the new mothers' husbands, and any father will understand that, on the day a baby is born, there is always concern for his wife's well-being. And four were those new children, hardly a day old."_

A soft knocking on the door caused the midwife - who had been on her feet all day, and most of yesterday as well - to sigh in resignation. With heavy steps, she pulled the door open, revealing the elder and Bokyaku standing there.

"Elder? Who is this?"

The elder was not surprised at her stern attitude, given the sudden workload put upon her shoulders, and responded only by gently raising his hand. "This is Bokyaku," he insisted. "He had told us of an omen that the magic of his sword can identify, and asks only that we allow him to observe all of us."

Bokyaku spoke at this point. "I understand that those gathered here are in ill condition to be standing, or otherwise do not wish to part from those in such states," he added. "So I thought it best courtesy to speak with you in here."

One of the fathers - the same red-headed man who had led them to the Village of the Ancients - only bowed his head. "Of course. Can you, er... observe all of us at once?"

"Yes," Bokyaku insisted. "You need only remain still - the judgement is blinding, and I do not wish for the children to be harmed."

"Very well," the leader assured him. "Go on."

The prismatic sword was raised.

_"All of them were wrapped in shadows when the light of his sword was cast upon them."_

Kai Ryu and his father were watching the building the elder and the Blades of Dusk leader had entered - but neither of them was expecting what followed. The elder stumbled back as Bokyaku was knocked out of the building, his sword shining - and following him, the red-headed leader. The elder and Bokyaku began to glow, but Kai Ryu nearly screamed when he saw a surge of _darkness_ blast skyward around the father, blotting him from the world. Two more figures wrapped in darkness charged out as well, though it soon dispersed to reveal the silver-haired and blonde fathers; the former struck Bokyaku's sword arm with a fierce kick, and he and the red-head pinned Bokyaku to the ground as the blonde grabbed his weapon.

"You necrous sons of-!"

_"The fathers acted the moment his sword began to glow. They struck him down, pried the blade still shining from his hands, and drove it into his heart. And all of them fled the village before the Blades of Dusk could even comprehend that their leader was dead."_

The mothers were already stepping out of the building, their children in hand. None of them looked like they would be on their feet for long; the fathers all rushed up and supported them as they began to charge. The Blades of Dusk were approaching at the sound of their leader's shouts; one of them seemed to recognize the parents, for he went for his weapon. "You-!"

The dark-haired father raised his hand. "_Thundaga!_"

A bolt of lightning ripped down in front of the assassin, throwing him back, and the twelve of Twilight began to flee. The other Blades of Dusk were surrounding their fallen member, but he only shook them off; "Don't worry about me! What's happened to the leader?"

Everyone's gaze went to Bokyaku - his sword impaled in his chest, rising like a holy beacon in the night.

_"He did not go immediately. With the last of his strength, he pried that prismatic edge from his flesh, and called to us. 'Any who might have courage - take my sword, and find that darkness. The world will never be surrounded by light if it is not felled."_

The young Kai Ryu was horrified to hear him crying out; but more so when he saw and heard everyone step away, just slightly. His gaze went to the hooded assassins, who were exchanging uncertain looks; and then his gaze went to his own wooden sword, clenched in his own grip.

_"I was frightened. I will not deny. I was no older than ten years. But when I saw everyone present remain still - when I saw even his own men, the Blades of Dusk, step away from that responsibility, I took action. I made my way to Bokyaku's side, and I set my hand upon the hilt of his sword. I told him, 'Once my body has the strength, I will find this darkness, and I will see it die. You have my word.'"_

The Ancient Kai Ryu stopped his pacing, glancing around at the people of Ur. "This was a good number of years ago... How many was it?" He shook his head lightly. "Fifteen, at least, though I feel it can't be so far as twenty. The moment I could hold that sword in one hand, that I could gaze across its prismatic light, I began to wander the world. Over my journey, I learned that those eight of Twilight - the parents - they had not survived long. A mother ought not be moving so soon after she had given birth. And the fathers had not recovered enough to be in any fighting condition. None of them even survived to leave this continent."

It was here that he reached for his sword with his right hand, slowly drawing it - and revealing an edge of every colour imaginable.

"Now," the Ancient demanded, "all of you gathered here, listen to me. I wish only to see this world bathed in light. If you would fight the darkness, you have nothing to fear from this sword."

He lashed his sword to his left, at his shoulder, and then out to his right, and then left to whirl it around his head before holding it forward and heavenward, all the while crying out;

"Receive the judgement of the iridescent blade!"

The rainbow edge of the sword turned pure white, and everyone stepped away, widening the space in which Kai Ryu stood, as light began to wrap them. His gaze shifted, and he turned to gaze at the crowd - for he had learned to see through the shine around him, and he could see all the people of Ur blinded by their own light.

All but four.

Four pillars of darkness surged out from what had been behind him, blotting out their owners, and he raised his sword toward them and shouted;

"I see you now, children of Twilight!"

Kyra had been caught off-guard when the shadows had surrounded her. For a moment, she could have sworn something had happened with their job classes - had she lost her tiny crystals, and being separated from them had robbed her of her Knighthood? But when Kai Ryu called them out, she realized what had happened; as the darkness faded, she raised her gaze to the Ancient. Her friends, her fellow Warriors, turned to face him as well; and when the crowd followed the point of his blade, all of them stepped aside, leaving nothing between him and them - yet _he_ was the one who seemed confused when the crowd began to speak.

"I think that boy works in Canaan's inn."

"That girl was the waitress in Kazus until just recently!"

"Is that _Kyra?_"

Kai Ryu lowered his sword, an expression of unknowing on his face. "How very odd," he mused. Slowly he began to approach them. "You four have been raised in the light. Taken in by those who would fight the darkness. Of course, not everyone has the means by which to make out shadows, but what confuses me is not your upbringing." He raised his empty hand, beckoning to the people around him. "None of these people were adorned in darkness. Yet all of them seem to recognize at least one of you." Then he turned back to the Warriors. "And indeed, the shadows that adorned you just now were weaker than those which adorned your fathers." He was only twenty paces from Kyra, at the forefront of the group, and he held his left hand towards her. "I do not want to slay children, for you should not be blamed for your heritage. And now, it may seem that I do not have to. Could it be that being surrounded by light has weakened your shadows? That in time, you too will shine when judged by the iridescent blade, and we need not fear that the world will be felled by your darkness?"

His empty hand was close enough for Kyra to grasp it.

She instead elected to strike it with her shield.

The Ancient cried out, stepping back. Kimiko took that as incentive to draw her bow; her arrow impaled itself in the earth at Kai Ryu's side, but was nonetheless incentive for him to leap away. The crowd gasped as he landed where he had told his story, and Kyra reached for her sword - this time, there was no one to stop her from drawing it, and raising it towards the village outsider.

"Darkness does not always equate to evil," she reprimanded, "just as light does not always mean good."

Kai Ryu loosed a heavy breath through his teeth.

"You... dare?"

He raised his sword towards Kyra. "You would question the light?" he demanded. "You would sing the praises of the shadows, and beckon forth the destruction of this world? How _dare_ you? _How **dare ****you!?**_"

The sword seemed to _pulse_ as he swept it to his side, causing the crowd to pull away. "I see now, my mistake," he snapped. "Your shadows are weaker than those of your fathers, _not_ because you have been in the light, but because there is _less of you_ to be dark. In your _youth_, your darkness has not grown. And I see that Bokyaku sought to slay you _before it did!_"

The weapon spun in his palm, such that the blade was earthward - despite the orientation of his hand remaining the same.

"A task that _I have chosen to take up!_"

He started to charge.

Kyra raised her shield, prompting the others to get behind her. Yet they stood alongside her, and took up arms, ready to face this together.

The sound of magic echoed in the air.

And Kai Ryu leapt back as Blizzara shot up where he had been, shattering a moment later.

Kyra was shocked when she saw her mother step between the Warriors of the Dark and the Ancient who sought to slay them, a Bomb Fragment and Zeus' Wrath in her hands. "What-? _Mom!_"

Amina glanced at them over her shoulder.

"Go," she insisted, gripping the items she held in her hands.

Kyra could tell that her mother was pleading with her, but she froze, knowing the danger that Amina was getting herself into; a danger she couldn't let her be exposed to. "But-!"

"_Go!_"

"**You!**" Kai Ryu's roar caused Amina to turn back to him. "You would defend the shadows?"

Amina shook her head, and though fearful of what she was putting herself through, she stood her ground, and showed none of that fear inside. "If I am not expected to defend the girl I have raised as _my daughter_, then I invite you to hold that sword in a way you can actually fight with, step up to me, and run me through."

Kai Ryu was quiet for a long while.

Then he flicked his wrist up, causing the sword to turn against his palm until he held it properly again.

Amina braced her casting items to throw.

"Actually," the Ancient admitted, standing straight again, "I have always fought with a sword held backhand. I only hold this one forehand when I cast its judgement because Bokyaku did." He set the blade of the weapon against his palm.

A small smile rose on Amina's face.

It vanished when the weapon remained unmoving - even as Kai Ryu pulled his hands from blade and handle - and magic sounded around the Ancient.

"_HOLY!_"

A ring of shining white surged up around Amina's feet, and her body refused to move as a sphere of light - minute at first, but slowly growing - rose from beneath her. The larger the sphere grew, the brighter its light became. Kyra screamed, moving to charge forward, but Malum and Haisen grabbed her arms to stop her.

And she was helpless to do anything but watch as the light burst, and Amina's body was consumed in a blinding explosion.

When it faded, there was no indication she had even been there.

* * *

Kai Ryu's hands closed on his weapon again, and he watched as the dark-haired girl struggled against her comrades, screaming, even as they dragged her in the direction of Kazus as fast as their feet would take them. His fellow Ancients had remained where they had landed during his story, and his blade's judgement - but now they leapt from the rooftops, approaching their leader.

"Orders, sir?" one man inquired.

A long silence.

"Let them go."

The gathered Ancients were shocked. "What?"

Kai Ryu pulled his left hand from the blade, and sheathed his sword. "Dark as she may be, she is still just a child. She is in no condition to do anything but mourn. And her allies will not be able to do anything more themselves." He turned to his men. "Let us return to the _Ivory Tiger_. We will leave her the day to her sorrow, and strike them down come morning. They have no means by which to flee this continent."

* * *

Kyra had been dragged all the way to Canaan, which was pretty impressive in regards to her struggling, and the current daze she found herself in after what had happened. The girl had been crying, screaming, even fighting back against the others for miles on end, and at first, there didn't seem to be any option of calming her down. Though, as the hours dragged on, and Canaan drew closer, Kyra lost her strength, and grew tired of her fighting, and instead, had been led along by Kimiko, who kept a firm yet comforting grip on her.

Though the rest of them reeled with shock at what just happened, and the story they heard, they couldn't just stand around and wait for the Ancients to strike them down. They all knew that to some extent, yet they didn't want to believe that they now had something of a time-restriction.

Catching up ahead to Haisen, who seemed adamant that they continue on through Canaan, Malum walked alongside him. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?" She asked, looking to the Scholar with, for once, a rather anxious look. And there were few moments which the bandit found herself worrying.

"We're going to see a man about a ship," Her red haired companion swiftly replied, not giving the girl so much as a glance.

"Right now?" Malum blinked, hardly believing how quick they were moving on from what just happened - or at least, Haisen's quick composure and adaption to all that happened.

"Right now."

"Haisen, don't you think we're going too fast with all of this?" Malum enquired, though, giving a subtle hint through that enquiry. Looking back at Kyra, whose eyes were red, and tears staining her cheeks, she could only continue on, hoping to deter Haisen from his quick-paced, forward thinking plans for a short amount of time. "Kyra's just lost her mom... and it doesn't help hearing about how we came about-"

"We don't have the _luxury_ of taking time to sort ourselves out!" Haisen snapped, turning to her sharply. "Don't you get that? They want us _dead!_ If you want to get finished, fine, but I'm not waiting around to be struck down!" He didn't react much to Malum's horrified expression, either at his coldness of not granting some respite, or the way he suddenly snapped, and almost seemed to fall apart. Something told him it was the former. Haisen turned from her, clenching his teeth in an attempt to stop himself from saying something he would most likely regret.

Kimiko approached behind the two with Kyra, still dazed and clearly exhausted. She looked to Haisen's back, some glimmer of hope still remaining in her. "You think Cid can help us?"

There was not so much of a word from the lad for several moments. He almost seemed unsure of the answer of Kimi's question as he still stood facing another direction, deep in thought. Then, he turned his head to Kimiko, and gave a nod. "Of course he can," He reassured her. "Cid is a genius when it comes to this kind of thing. If he can't help us, then no one else can."

"He's our best shot then..." Malum mused, to which Haisen nodded.

"Exactly. We need to get the hell off this continent before the Ancients decide to start chasing us," Haisen explained, despite there being no need to do so. "If we stick with the _Blue Dragon_, we're stuck in the inner sea. We're just going to have to hang on a little bit longer..." At that, he began to make his way towards Cid's house. Malum followed behind, though Kimiko wasn't as quick to follow.

Kyra just stood there alongside Kimiko, shaking in her horror. The only person she knew she could trust in, who she could go to about anything, her own mother, was gone. And not even a trace of her had been left behind. She knew that Kai Ryu and the Ancients had to pay for what they had done; what her own mother had been driven to do for them. Kyra knew she shouldn't have let Amina get involved in something that was _their fight_. Yet, she stood there, and just watched her mother disappear in front of her very eyes...

"Kyra? We need to go to Cid's..." Kimiko's voice barely got through to Kyra. Kyra seemed to just nod, still thoughtful, and once again, was led along by Kimi.

* * *

Cid Vermillion was always one for working through the night. Disturbing him was a worst nightmare to some of his neighbors; the innovator could be so close to a breakthrough, and any slight distraction could take away that breakthrough in a second. You didn't want to be the person who interrupted Cid's creative thinking.

And so, the man stood relishing in his own company for the night, his mind already spinning with ideas. With several blueprints spread out over his workshop counter, he was determined to improve on yet _another _prototype. It was all work and no play most of the time, but boy, would there be some fun when it came to testing out the model. Just as he was about to get started, Cid found Haisen bursting through the door. You could say he wasn't really surprised to see him; then again, you couldn't tell a lot about Cid's initial expression.

"Back again so soon, eh?" Cid mused, flipping a wrench up into the air before catching it once more in his hand, approaching a slightly modified version of the structure the four youths had encountered the mechanic found himself under before. "What can I fix you four up with?"

"We need to fly," Haisen put bluntly, waiting for Cid's reaction to the rather quick answer. He could only see the back of the rather neat, young man, though he could tell he was calculating that answer. Watching him plop himself down onto the rolling board, Cid had gone under the structure, putting the wrench to good use.

"Talk to me in six models and I'll see what I can do."

Malum groaned, and unable to contain herself, she stormed forward and pounded the hull of the ship he had slid under. "We need to fly, _now,_" she growled with an impatience that seemed to have started growing quite a time ago.

Upon hearing the slam, and the rather savage grumble, Cid rolled back out from underneath. He hadn't moved from his board, and with a raised eyebrow and an exasperated sigh, he explained, "I **can't **do that." Once he made his statement, he rolled back under the structure, intent on continuing on his work, or much rather, advancement of his prototype.

The Thief grabbed his board and slid him back out - but any coming outburst was silenced when Kimiko set a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get off the continent is what we need."

There was a stillness about Cid as he rubbed his chin in thought. Sitting up on the board, he remarked, "...I _might _be able to do that."

"How quick can you do it?" Haisen queried, giving a hand to Cid to help him off the board. The man accepted the gesture.

"As quick as you need it to be done," Cid replied, folding his arms over as he studied Haisen for a few moments. "Give me a time to be done by."

"Before dawn. Think you could manage that?"

Cid chuckled to himself, scratching his chin. A challenge. An aim. This night was bound to be interesting if he had to get a job done before dawn. "You'll see," He grinned, approaching the same candleholder by his bed, and pulling at it, revealing the same dark passage once again. As Cid disappeared, Malum turned to Haisen, not quite believing he was so willing to do this for them.

"Is he... usually this easily convinced?"

"Give Cid Vermillion a challenge, and he'll have no choice but to take it on, even if it does mean his pride and reputation," Haisen explained, unable to keep a sly smile off his lips.

* * *

Though this particular challenge had a tight window of opportunity, Cid certainly took his time with upgrading the _Blue Dragon_. Though he rarely dealt with Viking battleships, he had hoped that the four would be relieved at his previous practices on large ships before. An amateur wouldn't know where to start with this beauty.

Kimiko opted in staying inside with Kyra for some rest. Cid had agreed to that proposal (albeit mainly because he wouldn't want anything going wrong on account of a girl with some balance issues). Haisen and Malum decided rather than waiting passively inside, they would head out and give a hand, to which Cid appreciated the gesture.

With several parts, materials and more unimaginable things littering them on the coast where they had managed to pull the _Blue Dragon _up onto, the three quickly had their work cut out for them. There were strict instructions along each part of the progress.

Propellers had to be placed in _exactly _the place Cid ordered them to be placed. If it was the tiniest bit out of place, he claimed the ship would only find itself flying into the sea. Malum often was the victim of curses from a hell-bent Cid when it wasn't secured in the right place. To a reply of, "Here?" often came a reply of, "**No**, _there_."

A fully functional engine was handily designed and constructed by the mechanic himself; one of his favourite parts of the entire process. All attention and detail was put delicately to designing a reliable engine, which hadn't made much sense if most other models of his went crashing to the ground. While made any final adjustments needed to the engine, Haisen found himself giving the reasons for the sudden demand for an airship.

"Ancients, huh?" Cid couldn't help but dwell on the subject as he was finishing up one part of the engine. Though, whilst he dwelled on that subject, he dwelled on a simple question of _how_ they were meant to get this engine on and into the ship. That would come later, of course.

"Yep..." Haisen simply confirmed, finding himself inspecting another part of the engine. He explained how their leader, Kai Ryu, had come searching for the darkness that would 'plague' their world. He told Cid what their pursuer had told them, and how they were the ones standing in the man's pursuit of a world devoid of darkness.

"And all because of your heritage? And that darkness?" Cid paused, and looked to Haisen for more confirmation, an eyebrow raised in intrigue. The boy nodded in reply. Cid resumed his work. At least he was smart enough to realise how Kai Ryu unknowingly twisted and manipulated the persona of light and darkness to others.

"They're determined, Cid. They're not going to give up something they've prepared to do for a long time."

"Well, they're going to have to do a lot more preparing," Cid replied, finishing up on the engine. Putting two fingers in his mouth, and turning to the ship which Malum had been securing, he whistled for her. This caught her attention easily, and he shouted up, "Give us a hand with the engine; this thing isn't going to lift itself up."

More time only seemed to pass as Cid's upgrading of the _Blue Dragon_ came to an end. No indication of dawn seemed to present itself in the time that the work was being completed. But they all knew that time was fleeting, and they couldn't afford to stay much longer if it meant their heads. Malum sprinted back to Canaan to gather Kyra and Kimiko, and Haisen stayed behind to make any final preparations needed for lift off. Surprisingly, the girls returned rather quickly. In a few moments, Haisen was at the helm as Cid outlined the controls.

"This lever will furl the sails and extend the propellers," he explained. "It _should_ automatically rise to cruise altitude upon extension, and when you switch it back, it'll descend before switching back to sailing. Pull back on the helm to ascend, push forward to descend. Now," he added, turning serious, "I have no doubt that this will be enough to get you off the continent. Whether it'll hold up any longer than _that_ is a matter altogether different. You get her in the air, you fly over the land barrier, and you set her right back down as soon as you're out on the ocean. This thing doesn't fly unless _absolutely_ necessary. Get it?"

Haisen nodded. "Got it."

"Good." At that, the mechanic made his way down the boarding plank.

"Hey, Cid!"

The mechanic turned his head, looking back to the red-haired youth, who gave him a nod, and a rather thankful look.

"We owe you one."

Cid just chuckled, shaking his head in reply as he made his way back onto the ground again. "Try not to crash that thing, y'hear?" He received a swift nod, and something of a smirk in reply to that statement.

Soon, the work he had done for the _Blue Dragon _began to pay off. He stood quite a bit away as he watched the propellers start to spin, and listened to the sound of the engine starting up. Slowly, the _Blue Dragon_ lifted itself into the air, something that many would have thought a battleship would never do. The grass, the nearby trees, the waves near the coast themselves began to blow one direction or another as the ship found itself in the air. Soon, the thing was _flying_, and all Cid could do was proudly watch it retreat into the air, and hope it would take them far enough away from the threat that now loomed over their young shoulders.

As light began to loom over the horizon, Cid couldn't help but whisper into the wind, "Crystals guide you all."

* * *

Draco: _And you... o~nce said... "I~ wish you dead... you si~nner..." / I'll never be more... than a wo~lf at your door... for di~nner... / And if I see... you 'round... like a gho~st in my town... you li~ar... / I'll le~ave with your head... Oh, I'll leave yo~u for dead... si~i~re..._

Arca: ...wait, _Draco singing_? What an odd yet exciting revelation!

Draco: {laughs} _The Wolf_, by Phildel. It is a very creepy song, I think the music video qualifies as a 'butoh', and the lyrics imply a past wrong that will suffer great vengeance. {points at Kai Ryu} Appropriate, no?

Arca: *adjusts glasses* ...ah, yes. Very much so.

Draco: Excellent. Now, if you'll excuse me... {puff of smoke; vanishes}

Arca: ...Draco? *looking around* Crap, now I have to waste time trying to find him. I can't seek in this game of hiding and vanishing. *sighs, turning to the readers* Until the next chapter, folks!


	15. Flight of Oppression

Draco: {puff of smoke; appears}

Arca: *drops map* There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Now, explain yourself!

Draco: Rum, hoods, and Tetris.

Arca: *sighs* Now _that_ makes a lot of sense. Just give a warning next time, will you?

Draco: You don't _warn_ someone that you're going to drop a smoke bomb! That completely defies the point of a smoke bomb!

Arca: That's true. But then again, you go off the radar, and that's never good.

Draco: {sigh} Very well, no more smoke bombs. {turns to readers} Chapter's up, enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

The Ancients' airship, the _Ivory Tiger_, had moved only so that its shadow was not cast over the village of Ur; it still remained in the air over the Sasune region, and Kai Ryu was resting at the helm (albeit not asleep). His prismatic sword, though sheathed, lay across his legs, and he was waiting for the dawn when a shout from the crow's nest caught his ears.

"Sir! Off starboard! What _is_ that?"

On his feet in an instant, Kai Ryu gazed off the starboard side - and what he saw shocked him, for he hadn't expected to see such a thing in the skies at this hour. A massive ship was flying in the air just off the Canaan shore, and after a moment the swordsman recognized the dragon's maw on the figurehead. "That's... the _Blue Dragon!_" he exclaimed. His fist slammed into a button near the helm, setting an alarm throughout their airship. "All hands on deck! The children of Twilight are in the air! Ready the starboard cannons!"

The men were moving in no time. Alas, being roused from sleep, and not sleep enough to be rested at that, will leave men in ill condition to be doing hasty work - the cannons were unbound with weak fingers and loaded with heavy arms, and as Kai Ryu waited for the notice that the starboard cannons were ready to fire, he saw the airship flying northerly - towards the outer sea.

"Damnation!" Rather than wait for his helmsman, Kai Ryu grabbed the helm himself; the sudden movement of the _Ivory Tiger_ had the drowsy crew tumbling as their leader made to pursue his targets.

* * *

"Ancients off the ass end!"

Malum's shout caused Haisen to glance over his shoulder - and he muttered something most unkind when he saw the Ancients' airship flying after them. It wasn't as if he _didn't _expect the Ancients to follow them; rather so, they certainly took their pursuit of the four of them rather seriously. The Thief had elected not to get in the crow's nest of an _airship_, and so the Scholar quickly turned to her. "Get ready at the chase cannon in the figurehead."

"Can this thing handle that kind of shock while it's in the air?" Malum exclaimed. "That one's huge!"

"We fire at them, or they fire at us!" Haisen insisted. "It's the only one we've got loaded! Get to the cannon!"

Knowing better than to argue with the healer in such a serious situation, Malum vaulted the railing by the helm and made her way below decks. Kimiko and Kyra were still there, the Knight huddled up in a corner; when Kimiko saw Malum heading towards the cannon, she quickly made her way to the deck entrance, in case Haisen's order to fire wouldn't reach her.

They were flying off the Ancient continent and over the water, and Haisen knew that in any other situation, he ought set the ship down now; instead he whirled the helm, causing the ship to rotate violently, and shouted, "FIRE!"

Kimiko was about to follow up the call, but Malum had heard him loud and clear; a flint was struck to the fuse, and the whole ship _rocked_ as the cannon fired, steel flying from the Nepto Dragon's maw with a cloud of smoke and soaring towards the Ancient vessel.

Kai Ryu banked the _Ivory Tiger_ to port, but he couldn't stop the shot from slamming into one of their starboard propellers. With the disbalance, the ship veered sharply to starboard, and as they neared the earth the swordsman counted his blessings that they hadn't left the Ancient Continent themselves - the cliffs on open ocean were too high to be accessed from the deck of a ship, but the shores of the inner sea were more merciful.

The Ancient airship hit the water near the Dwarven Hollows - _hard_ \- and everyone made to abandon ship before she sunk.

That's not to say the _Blue Dragon_ was unscathed. The figurehead cannon was firmly mounted, and the Viking's vessel suffered nothing more than a burst of backwards momentum. Cid's alterations, however, were less durable; the shock jolted every piece of machina on the ship, bringing everything to a stop, and everyone began to shout when the airship suddenly _plummeted_. Haisen quickly threw the lever to shift back; the propellers withdrew, the sails unfurled, and the Warriors hit the floors beneath them with _thuds_ of varying volumes as their sailing ship hit the water and balanced out.

Haisen had gotten himself to his feet (though he could barely find them trying to regain his balance once again) and was leaning against the railing by the helm when Malum came charging up.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again," she reprimanded, almost through gritted teeth.

Haisen, for once, didn't seem to argue with Malum's logic. He quickly nodded. "Seconded," he agreed.

* * *

Suffice to say, that was the end of the _Blue Dragon_'s sky journeys. Everything was out of place - and without Cid's expertise, none of the Warriors dared to try fixing it. Even Haisen, who had the best experience with what Cid did to make it an airship, didn't even touch it; he just turned away from the mess of disoriented gears and made his way back to the helm.

"Get her in the air, fly over the land barrier, and set her right back down," Haisen muttered as he gripped the helm again. With the threat of the Ancients looming over him, he hadn't even had time to enjoy the freedom of an airship - and now he might _never_ get to. Not that there was anything wrong with a sailing vessel - particularly now that they had open waters to sail in - but the airship had so much more_potential_, so much more it _could_ have done. Though, working on a constricted time scale often took away that potential and the fun that comes with it.

His hand went for his eyes. He hadn't realized it while they had been working with Cid, but now that Kai Ryu was - for now - out of the way, he was _exhausted_. After a moment's thought, he realized they had done a lot without break; fought the Ancients on the sea, sailed straight to Ur on hearing of their attack, and then worked the night so the _Blue Dragon_ would fly, only to wreck the flight systems the moment they had served their urgent purpose. The more he thought about it... the more he realised how tiring it really was, and the quicker his eyes seemed to droop over...

"Feeling tired?"

"_GYAH!_" Haisen spun screeching, going for his tomes (which he had kept under his Scholar robe) before he realized Kimiko was standing there. With something between a sigh and a groan, he reached up to his glasses, pushing up the left frame with the knuckles of his right hand. "Kimi, don't scare me like that."

Kimi let her gaze drift to her feet, tapping them both together in a meek manner. "Sorry," she murmured. "I should've... been a little noisier on the approach."

Haisen shook his head. "No, it's my bad," he insisted, raising a hand to rub his temples. "It's just... I just..."

"You're tired," the Ranger observed, folding her arms over as she seemed to look further over his sleepy figure. Kimi could read people rather well after all, and the young man showed quite a few symptoms of exhaustion.

The Scholar gave her a look, something between that of drowsiness and denial. "What?" he mused. "No, I'm just a little jumpy. I didn't think the Ancients were going to be-"

Kimi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm tired."

With a chuckle, Kimiko grabbed an empty spoke on the helm. "You head below deck," she insisted. "I'll take the helm."

"Are you sure?" Haisen asked, his hand still glued to the helm. Looking out towards the vast seas, he questioned, "Do you even know where we should go at this point?"

"Do you?" Kimi countered, looking around to him with a raised eyebrow once again.

Haisen opened his mouth.

Haisen then proceeded to close his mouth and turn away sheepishly, his own grip leaving the helm.

With a chuckle, the Ranger grasped the wheel in two hands. "Head below deck," she repeated. "Malum's already sleeping. You two worked all night, you deserve a little rest." She watched as the Scholar made his way to the hold; then she raised her gaze to the sunlit waters.

A sigh passed through her lips. This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

Sailing without destination was not the most productive form of travel, but everyone agreed that there was little else they could do. And after a while, it proved not to be fruitless after all; they made landfall at an unfamiliar region, with several large mountain ranges forming a valley not far from the shore. The anchor was dropped, the boarding plank was extended, and the four Warriors of the Dark made their way onto the earth.

Malum led the way down the gangplank, knife in hand; Haisen was right behind her, looking around carefully with his Scholar's glasses. Kyra and Kimiko came down side-by-side; the Knight was still feeling rather weak after the events in Ur.

For one, Kyra had gone as white as snow. After all that happened, the colour had just drained from her, her eyes sunk, and she looked _exhausted_. With her colour, her will seemed to go with it. Kimi found it difficult enough to convince Kyra to come out of her corner below deck to explore the land they had found. Something seemed to flicker away inside of her, and that was evident enough to her comrades.

Kimiko found herself gazing towards Kyra, something urging her to speak to her about what had happened. She hadn't talked since, and it wasn't like the Ur girl not to say anything. She had to say something at some point, and Kimiko was going to make sure of it. Edging closer to her, the Ranger whispered softly, "Kyra... are you... do you want to talk about it?"

The Knight hadn't looked towards the girl for several moments. Though it was clear by the look in her eyes that she wanted to avoid the subject completely. Shakily, she shook her head, swallowing back the lump in her throat. "...I... I'm fine..."

Kimiko frowned, steering her gaze away. She debated even pushing Kyra to talk about this. Yet, she found herself comforting her. "Kyra...you know you can talk to us about it," she reassured her, though, Kyra avoided Kimi's eyes. "Kyra..."

"I _don't_ _want_ to talk about it!" Kyra snapped, turning sharply to the Ranger. Her eyes did not show anger or frustration with the girl. Instead, there was a fearing, despairing soul that seemed to be falling apart. Water began to swell in her eyes, and she turned from Kimiko, not wanting her to see her break like she had earlier before. Yet, she felt a hand grabbing hers, and biting her lip, Kyra cautiously turned her gaze back to Kimi.

"But you _need_ to talk about it."

With her free hand, Kyra rubbed at her eyes - which had been particularly uncomfortable with her gauntlet - after feeling them stinging once again. Shakily, she replied, "What is there to talk about? The woman who I've always known as my mother is _gone_. She died, and all for **nothing**."

"Kyra..." Kimiko gave a small sigh, almost finding this difficult to talk about herself. "She didn't just die for nothing. She died for _you_. For all of us." Though Kyra found this difficult to hear, Kimi continued on. "And I know it's hard... but she alone made that decision to defend you, and that wasn't your fault." She attempted to reassure her, seeing her slowly look up, and straight to her.

"Then why do I feel like it's all my fault?"

The Ranger hesitated for a few moments. She could have possibly answered any question but the one that Kyra had just gave her. The two continued to walk on, side by side, with Kimiko finding her mouth opening and closing, trying to find an answer. There wouldn't be an answer for quite a time.

Hoofsteps.

The sound was one that none of them expected. Even Kyra, in her stunned state, was able to register the sound as not belonging; she began to look around, one hand reaching for her weapon, and all of her comrades did the same.

Haisen loosed a horrified, high-pitched _scream_.

Malum was about to mock him for it when she saw the cause.

There was a horse at least the size of the inn at Canaan standing halfway up the first mountain on the right. The air around it seemed to distort with sheer force, and upon its back was an armoured figure of size fit to ride the beast. His plate mail was an eerie, pale gold, and his helm bore twin, pronged horns of deepest black. In one hand was gripped a sword that looked to be forged of obsidian, its blade jagged and all the sharper for it; in the other was a round shield of brightest silver, its surface polished to perfect reflection.

Steed and rider were both gazing down at the Warriors of the Dark.

Kimi slung her bow off her shoulder, drawing an arrow. "Run!" she shouted to the others, pulling back on the bowstring as she aimed at the mounted knight high above. The others raced back towards the ship as she let the projectile fly; she was not entirely surprised when the arrow hit the mountainside without even coming close enough to threaten the horse. She briefly considered drawing another, but decided not to waste her ammunition and instead followed the others back up the gangplank. Malum was at the helm, and she had the ship moving before they had even raised the gangplank; only a quick grab on Haisen's part stopped them from leaving it behind, and it took him, Kimi, and Kyra all working together just to get it safely up on the deck.

"What _was_ that?" the Ranger demanded, practically hanging over the side of the ship, and her eyes returning to where they fled from as if to reassure herself that their eyes hadn't deceived.

"I have _no_ idea," Haisen admitted. Then, glancing to Kyra, who was equally as shaken up as the rest of them, couldn't help but think she knew what that thing was. "Kyra?"

The Knight returned Haisen's glance, before she shook her head. "Nothing," she insisted. "I've never even heard of anything like that."

An encounter with something unknown can be the most frightening of all; the Warriors would not soon forget the image of the armoured horseman, shield and sword in accord.

* * *

Night fell while they were still sailing, Malum elected to remain at the helm while the others called it a night. She started regretting it before too long; helmsman was a tiring position on a ship, and the Thief was not accustomed to being still for a long period of time without sleeping. It had been easy to ignore her tire in the sunlight, but the shadows past sunset were another matter entirely.

Footsteps caught her attention, and she turned to see their Knight making her way out onto the deck.

"Kyra?" Malum was surprised at her presence. "What are you doing up?"

"I've had enough rest," Kyra insisted, making her way up to Malum's side. "And you've been at the helm a lot longer than you should have. Let me take over."

"Are you sure?" the Thief inquired. With the way Kyra had been acting before, Malum wasn't sure she wanted the Ur girl up here on her own.

Kyra nodded. "I'm fine," she assured her, finding herself glancing out into the distance, despite the darkness starting to set over the waters. "I'm... feeling a little better."

Malum turned towards her, keeping one hand on the wheel. "I call BS," she reprimanded. "Not the way you were talking to Kimi, you're not."

"I guess 'feeling better' isn't what I was looking for," Kyra admitted, putting one hand on the wheel herself. Malum stepped away, prompting her to grip the helm with both hands. "I feel more... _propelled_, I guess. I want to _do_ something."

"It was that freak on the horse, wasn't it," Malum ventured

"Yeah," Kyra confirmed. "When I saw him, I had this horrible feeling that... he wasn't something I wanted to fight. Not unless I was _really_ in a fighting state. If I tried to attack him while I was feeling bad about myself, he would have cut me in half." She shook her head. "And I realized... that's what _everything_ is going to be like. With those Ancients after us, we can't go around at half-power. We need to give it all we have. And I was the only one who wasn't giving it all I had. I can't put you guys in danger like that." She glanced to Malum, and in her eyes, she clearly meant what she said. It was almost as if a pang of guilt had hit Kyra, and that clearly, she was ashamed of how she acted.

Malum was surprised. "Kyra..."

The Knight shook her head. "We're the Warriors of the Dark," she insisted. "And whether we like it or not, nobody's going to accept that. It's time we stopped hiding, and just powered through it."

"What are you saying?" Malum demanded. "You mean we should just walk into the town, flying a banner-"

Kyra elbowed her in the shoulder. A combination of not expecting it and already being tired meant that Malum tumbled to the deck in a manner that would have made Kimiko's worst dojikko moments proud.

"I'm not trying to draw attention," Kyra insisted. "I'm saying that when people ask us who we are, we _tell them_ we're the Warriors of the Dark. Maybe we can get people to understand that the darkness isn't always a bad thing."

Malum was surprised. "You really think that'll work?" she asked.

A long quiet.

"No," Kyra admitted finally. "I really don't. But we have to _try_. People like Kai Ryu who would kill us, and kill those who would defend us, just because of who we are and what we were asked to do - that notion needs to change. Maybe _we_ can't do it. But if we get the idea started, then maybe it _will_ happen."

The Thief was left speechless. Going from losing her mother and almost losing her will, to someone who wants to make a difference when it comes to their position was a pretty big jump, even for Kyra's standards. There was hope in this situation, of course, but whether or not that hope would carry on through as they planned it to was another story altogether.

"Get some rest," the Knight insisted. "I'll keep this thing going."

Malum made her way below deck, leaving Kyra to turn her gaze out over the water.

_Light is the form given to hope. Therefore, darkness is seen to rob you of that hope._

She knew that it would take more to change that then the Warriors of the Dark... but she was worried about what, exactly, it might take.

* * *

Arca: Do you ever sit and think of the times when one side of your nose isn't completely blocked?

Draco: With unpleasant frequency. But why would you bring up such a Seinfeldian subject?

Arca: *blows nose* ...I think I've got a cold.

Draco: {winces} Sorry.

Arca: I suppose it could've been a lot _worse_...I think?

Draco: Much worse. But that doesn't make it any more pleasant to have a cold.

Arca: *blows nose again* Well, onwards and upwards like I always say! *turning to the readers* Tune in next time wherever or **not** we have something infectious on our hands!


	16. Suspicious Hospitality

Draco: You know the worst part about writing about a sleepy character?

Arca: What's the worst thing about writing a sleepy character?

Draco: {loud yawn} You get sleepy for yourself.

Arukuu: *stirring coffee* Don't I know it...

Draco: {sigh} Well, no point dwelling! Chapter 16, everybody!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

The _Blue Dragon_ continued to sail its way blindly over unfamiliar seas. Anywhere away from whatever greeted them on that land before was enough reason for Kyra to keep sailing like this. The sun's rays only began to spill over the horizon when Kimiko was first to greet the morning. She took one look at Kyra, and concern riddled her tired eyes. Yet, a swift nod and reassurance from Kyra that she was fine gave Kimi some relief. Anxiety still remained for her nonetheless.

One by one, the crew of youths ascended onto the ship as dawn arrived. Malum took to the crow's nest again, regarding it to be safer to use since the ship was no longer airborne. Haisen and Kimi remained on deck with Kyra, watching out for another shore to land on, in between keeping an eye on the captain and the rays slipping over the horizon.

It had been another hour or so - or maybe much longer, time had slipped easily from their fingers since their escape from Kai Ryu - before Malum spotted something in the distance.

"Are you sure?" Haisen shouted back up to Malum, eyeing her dubiously as he witnessed the girl continuing to gawk at the sight in the distance.

"I don't know," Malum hadn't peeled her eyes away, though she sounded just as doubtful as Haisen looked. Maybe her tired eyes still deceived her. There was no way she could truly be seeing what she saw. "Come have a look for yourself if you don't believe me."

As a matter of fact, the Scholar really didn't believe her. It was easy to get confused with the sun's rays reflecting off many things in the early morning. He couldn't make out any structures from where he stood on deck with Kimi, who also struggled to see anything due to a mountain range surrounding south of the approaching land. That was when Haisen's curiosity had gotten the better of him.

He began to see what Malum had meant as he ascended to the crow's nest. The structure began to come into view. Nestled within the range was a structure that would have been far more noticeable had the mountains been stripped away. It wasn't grand, but by no means was it a shoddy house either. From what Haisen could make out, this house - no, _mansion_ \- was made entirely out of marble, with windows masking several floors; three or four at the most.

"Well, what do you think?" The Scholar could hear Malum's question ringing in his ear, and he leaned over the nest for several moments, thoughtful.

"You think we should go check it out?"

"We don't have any other options at this point. Unless you want to sail back towards to the Ancients and give ourselves in."

Haisen sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He hated to admit the thief was right, but the four didn't have a lead anywhere else. There were still two Crystals to find and save, and they all had no clue as to where they were. Stopping off at the mansion would probably give them time to get their heads around all that had happened, and all that may happen. "Marble mansion it is then."

Before long, the _Blue Dragon _was no longer on a sightseeing sail, but finally sailing with a goal in mind. To get to the manor in the mountains.

* * *

The four found there was no direct way to get to the manor, so some slight manoeuvring further west was needed. They eventually docked some distance from the mountains near some woodland, and made their way back onto land once again. It was only then as they approached the manor that they began to notice the finer details of it.

It was particularly grander than some of the houses and buildings the four would have come across in their lifetime to say the least. Two round marble pillars stood to greet them at the entrance, and a set of small steps led to two large doors just waiting to be pushed open. Malum rubbed her hands together, chuckled a little to herself, already making her way up the steps and towards the two towering doors to enter.

"Should we knock?" Kimiko enquired nervously, who received a snort in return from Malum. She followed quickly behind with the androgynous girl, who peeked in through one of the locks.

"Knock? Since we started travelling together, when did we ever _knock_ on doors?" Malum posed to a taken aback Kimi, who obviously made yet another valid point that day. "Besides, who would hear us knocking out here? I doubt anyone would hear us coming in or out since the place is so big."

"Know that from previous experiences, no doubt?" Haisen remarked with a scoff, folding his arms as he approached the two girls, Kyra following behind.

The Thief rolled her eyes, muttering something as she spent a few more moments peering through the keyhole. "Looks quiet. Could be abandoned." Malum suggested, before she took matters into her own hands and reached for the handle. She turned it, and there came a loud click, before the towering door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit hallway inside. Turning to the others, she noticed they stood motionless. "Come on, I'm sure none of you guys want to spend your time outside with Bugbears."

It didn't take them long to make a move.

Greeting the four was a large, spacious hall, adorned again with marble pillars, various blues, reds and more of paintings, and fresh flowers along end tables across the walls. Light from adjacent oil lamps every few metres along both walls cast large shadows of the four on the clean, white marble. Something told the group of youths that someone had been here, or at least _was _here at this moment in time.

Approaching the middle of the room, a golden design had been etched into the floor; a sun, on further inspection, its middle perfectly rounded, and each pair of its waves winding in varying lengths. It showed little signs of wear or dirt; in fact, the entire floor looked spotless.

"Pretty fancy place," Malum stated the obvious, staring up at the clean, blinding white of the ceiling towering above them. "Whoever built this place clearly has a lot of gil on hand..."

"Watch it," Haisen warned, straying slightly from the rest of the group near some doors leading into other rooms. The others found him edging his body in the direction of these doors, listening out for any signs of life. "We don't want to pay the price for something that mysteriously goes missing.

Before Malum could argue, there came a groaning from a door further down the same hallway. The four froze, each wondering if it would be best to make a move straight out of the manor. Instead, they waited as they watched a figure approach them.

As the light hit the figure, it gave a much clearer image of who he was to the group. The man appeared to them neatly dressed in business attire; a black tailcoat with not a crease nor mark, with a freshly pressed white shirt underneath, black leggings, and polished black dress shoes. Noticeable on both of his hands were a pair of white opera gloves; blindingly white. Over his left arm stiffly pressed against his torso was a white cloth.

"Ah, guests. A good thing I scrubbed the floors today."

There was an air of bewilderment stirring among the four. They had entered - no, _trespassed _\- onto private property, and now all of a sudden, they were being treated as guests. They weren't entirely sure whether to correct this man or not.

"Oh, how rude of me. I ought introduce myself." The man gave the four a welcoming smile, and politely bowed. "I am the butler of this mansion. My name is Tenshi. My apologies, but the master is not currently in." He explained, standing stiffly upright once again as the four considered him. Carefully.

"Er... nice to meet you," Kyra prompted, taking it upon herself to speak - as none of her fellow Warriors seemed inclined to. "I'm Kyra. This is Kimiko, he's Haisen, and that's Malum." She pointed to each of her companions in turn as she spoke. "We noticed your mansion while we were sailing, and...well, we weren't sure if anyone was here. We've been sailing all night, and most of yesterday."

Tenshi glanced at them with a raised eyebrow. "You're rather young to be sailing on your own, no?" he asked, sounding rather stunned by the statement. "Whatever would drive you to push yourselves so hard?"

Malum shook her head. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you," she insisted, to which she recieved a short chuckle in reply.

"I have seen a great many strange and powerful things in my time," the butler argued. "I would deny that claim."

Haisen sighed. "There was this big, creepy _knight_ at the last place we made landfall," he explained. "We weren't willing to stick around to see what his sword felt like."

His words seemed to surprise Tenshi. "Oh dear," he mused. "Not only sailing for so long, but pushed to it by fright? You must all be exhausted." He stepped away, and he indicated with the same arm with the cloth draped over his arm. It pointed further into the mansion. "Come. There are guest lodgings you can each use. My master has instructed me to welcome any travellers to stay the night if they should need it."

Kimi glanced at Kyra. On one hand, there was something decidedly _suspicious_ about all this; the mansion, the butler, all of it. It was almost too convenient, and the thought made her uneasy in taking this offer. On the other hand, the Knight looked absolutely _exhausted_; she had been the one at the helm all morning and most of the night. No one was sure how long Kyra could go on for past her exhaustion. Well, she could have gone on longer, but it'd be detrimental not only to her, but to all of them. She glanced at the others; Malum gave her a subtle nod, and Haisen surreptitiously adjusted his Scholar glasses - knuckles of the right hand against the base of the left frame - with his gaze on the butler.

"Alright," Kimi insisted, a smile creeping onto the butler's face. "I think we'll take you up on that."

* * *

The mansion was _massive_, indeed; the Warriors surely would have gotten lost without Tenshi to guide them. The rooms to which they were taken were all positively _opulent_; Haisen found himself wondering what the master's chambers must be like, considering the guest rooms had four-poster beds the size of the crystals and wondrous paintings upon the walls. The rooms were large, and impeccably clean. If a finger were to be run along any sort of furniture, there would be hardly anything to find. The Scholar took the last room, to ensure he knew where to find the others should the need arise; once the butler had departed, he sat down on the foot of the bed.

And promptly felt like he was going to fall straight down to the floor.

"Softer than quicksand," he muttered, righting himself warily. "Kyra should get a good night's sleep on one of these." He recounted almost relief on her face before they were taken to their rooms. Exhaustion had finally caught up with her.

His gaze turned to the painting across the room. It was in many ways a classical 'brave hero' portrait; a man stood at what looked like a cliff's edge, in a dominating pose, with light beaming down around him. In his hands was a long spear, poised toward the earth; upon his back were three swords, another spear, and an axe; over his shoulder was a bow; strapped to the front of his tunic were four knives; at his sides were a quiver and another sword; and at his feet was a heavy mace. _How impractical_, Haisen observed; and he reached for his tomes.

He laid all of them out around him - the Book of Fire on his right, the Book of Ice on his left, and the Book of Light in front of him - then he set his left hand under the right frame of his glasses and reached his right hand towards the cover of the central tome. A static spark bit at his fingertips, causing him to pull away briefly; the inappropriately-named Book of Light was in fact Thunder-elemental, which caused it to react when he tried to touch it after contact on a very static-inducing fabric. He had to wonder if anyone else too had experienced this, or worse. But he had read in each of the books a curious incantation separate from the elemental magic for which he could use them - something that could only be used by a scholar - and it was that to which Haisen now turned the book. "_Yami no shisen..._"

Meanwhile, Malum was all but ransacking _her_ room, looking for anything that might be reasonably suspect - something within her simply _did not trust_ the butler who had greeted them. The bed she was saving for last, knowing that anything that soft was going to leave a _lot_ of mess that would get in the way if she tore it open before anything else was done. The wall painting (which featured a woman in an inordinately opulent dress that brought back a few bad memories) had been torn off the wall, and then ripped out of its frame; the lamp beside the bed had been extinguished and upturned (the bed's blankets had been used to soak up the oil so as to avoid leaving something to slip on), and the drawers of the various wardrobes were in the process of being pulled open and their contents searched.

Thus far, those contents had consisted largely of old parchment, writing tools, and spare blankets - although Malum had also found a book titled _Bushido in the Bedroom_ that she had elected to not open. As Malum came to the last wardrobe, she was surprised to find that the doors were closed tightly. Confused, she reached down for the drawers and found each of them locked, with a keyhole sitting intact on each of them. Curiosity and distrust overcame Malum, and she shuffled through her pockets, finding only her job class crystals and a coin she had swiped off the butler as he had continued to show the other Warriors to their rooms. She was trying to remember where she last could have used her lockpicks. Then it came to her; most of them could have been dropped from the ensuing chase started by the Ancients.

She quickly grabbed a pair of quills, stripping the barbs off the feathers and working them into the lock of the top drawer. All her attempts at lockpicking in the past had taken anywhere from sixteen to sixty minutes; so she surprised even herself when she found the lock clicking pleasantly after barely a hundred seconds had passed. It was a sign she was improving possibly. Or was it something else entirely contributing to her picking the lock with ease?

She glanced at her hands, an appreciative smile rising on her face. "_Safety in speed_," she murmured, remembering the battle vow on the Thief's crystal shard.

Acting quickly and carefully, she pulled the drawer open. There was nothing _in_ the drawer, but that only proved to make Malum _more_ suspicious, for no one locks an empty container. She reached inside, feeling around inside the drawer - her patience finally rewarded when she found a suspicious _bump _in the top corner of the drawer's frame, on the side facing the wall. When she pushed into it, something _clicked_, and she felt the whole wardrobe shift, just slightly; she stepped away to see it had become askew. Her hand upon it moved the wardrobe without it grinding against the floor; moving it away from the wall showed that it was hiding a passage.

With a curious hum, Malum stepped inside. Things just became more interesting.

* * *

"Kyra... Kyra, wake up."

The Knight weakly opened her eyes to find someone wearing a feather leaning down next to her bed. Not that she looked particularly Knightly at the moment; armour was rather uncomfortable to sleep in, and so Kyra had changed out of her job class and back into her Freelancer garments for the night. With a groan, she rose upright, giving the Ranger a long look. Just when she thought she was finally getting a good few z's in, she had to be awoken. "...Kimi...?" Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Kyra protested, "It's the middle of the night..."

"I know," Kimiko insisted. "I'm sorry to wake you up, but Haisen and Malum found something."

That got Kyra's attention right quick. "Haisen... and Malum...?" The girl narrowed her eyes in avid curiosity. Not what she was expecting to hear in the middle of the night.

"_Haisen_ and _Malum_," Kimi confirmed confidently to the dubious look written all over Kyra's face.

Kyra peered at her for a long moment; then she reached into both of her pockets, having put the Knight crystal separate from the others (but too drowsy to remember which it had been). "_Guard one's loved, guard one's self,_" she murmured, prompting the wave of darkness to burst out around her as Kimi stumbled back; when it faded, she was armoured again, and her hands were in the pouches of the belt around her waist; she drew them out and slid off the bed. "Show me what they found," she said firmly.

Kimi led her to Malum's bedroom, where they found a mess everywhere; In fact, _mess _was something of an understatement. It was though a Chocobo had rampaged through it without a second thought. What was found was a wardrobe on a hinge and a door-sized gap in the wall. Through that gap was a large, business-esque room; Haisen and Malum were standing at what looked like an office desk, with several letters scattered across its surface. The back of a wardrobe was visible through a gap in each of the other three walls, and in one corner was a spiral staircase going above and below; from the ceiling hung a beautiful chandelier with a massive number of candles.

"What is this...?" Kyra asked, finding herself looking around one more time to take everything in.

"A place for paperwork," Malum explained. "There's an entrance on all sides, and none of them lead to a hallway." Indicating to the staircase, she continued, "The stairs go up to a bedroom with a four-poster that makes the Sasune princess' bed look cheap - yes," she added on seeing Haisen's glare, "I'm speaking from firsthand experience, shut up - and down to a basement mazier than the Tower of Ice. Both of them are triple-locked. This place is top-secret. I figured, this must be the manor master's office." Malum then indicated a stare to the Scholar now, whose glare had subsided by this point. "Then Haisen came and found me."

Kyra turned to Haisen, who raised one of his tomes - marked with a thunderbolt. "This one comes with a spell that lets me see who has _ever_ been in the building. I used it when I got to my bedroom. The list consisted of that butler, Tenshi, and _us_."

There was a silence among the four for a moment, and then, just then, something _clicked_. "He doesn't have a master," Kyra realized.

"Oh, I think he does," Haisen corrected. "But not in the 'master with a butler to serve him' sense. A butler follows his master around like a shadow. This guy serves someone a little..."

He turned to Malum, who raised an envelope with a letter hanging from it.

"...lighter."

Malum handed out the papers, prompting Kimi to step forward and take them. Her hand closed on the letter, and when Malum released the envelope it fell to the floor - but that was the least of their concerns as the Ranger began to read. "_Your orders have changed. Our targets are on a course that will bring them to your manor. If any strangers should arrive at your manor, treat them as guests - and set them in the guest rooms. Leave the building temporarily to set them at ease. Then kill them immediately._"

"Oh, bother."

Everyone went for their weapons, turning to see Tenshi standing at the entrance through which they had come. "And here, I had hoped that I could strike you down while you were sleeping, and grant you that greatest of mercies." His eyes darkened as he stared the four down. "But you had to go and find me out - and rob yourselves of painless deaths."

Malum drew her knife, vaulting the office table. "Master's not in, no kidding," she snapped. "Your master never even set foot in this place!"

Tenshi clicked his tongue. "You seem to be mistaken," he reprimanded. "The author of that letter is not my master. Well..." His gaze went skyward, and he pursed his lips in thought. "Well, he is my _superior_, so I suppose he does qualify as a 'master' in the more archaic manner." His gaze lowered once again on the four, still stiffly upright in their defensive positions. Though the butler, still in the same position as he had been presented before, was relaxed, calm, compared to his 'guests'. "But as a butler, I once served a master directly." He continued. "He was felled as we travelled, and I crafted this manor that I might have a place to sleep. And in an empty manor, a servant is his own master..."

His teeth closed on his glove, and as he pulled his hand out of the glove he turned it so its palm faced the Warriors of the Dark.

"...and I am a most _ancient_ servant."

On his palm was a familiar tattoo - 光 _hikari_, light. Kyra drew her sword and shield. "That mark...! You work with Kai Ryu!"

The 'butler' chuckled. "If you could not work that out from my orders," he reprimanded, "I'm curious as to exactly _how many_ want you dead." His tailcoat and his shoes each began to glow, and he raised his hands at his sides as he continued, "If so many want you dead, I have reason to doubt that you will be sorely missed!" His coat opened up, and his undershirt faded away in a shimmer to reveal a chest _covered in scars_, and as he swept his hands forward the sleeves of his tailcoat remained raised at his sides; his feet lifted upward, leaving his shoes just beneath them as they began to change.

"And if there is no one who will miss you, then I will not be sending you to the heavens!"

A brilliant flash emerged from his coat and shoes; when they faded, flowing from his back were four feathered wings, and resting beneath his feet were a pair of nested wheels that formed orphan orbs.

"Devilish children of Twilight, you will perish in this manor, and as a butler I am sworn to leave no trace of whatever _filth_ may land in the home of my master!"

He raised his tattooed hand, and snapped his fingers.

Bolts of _solid light_ appeared before him, surging forward one-by-one and arcing towards each of the Warriors of the Dark. Kyra acted quickly - as one bolt flew towards her, she raised her shield to block it. The second went for Malum, and Kyra was moving even as the impact of the first was yet to fade, putting herself between Malum and the attack and catching it, too, on her shield. The third went for Haisen, who was too far for Kyra to arrive in time, and so she hurled her shield to intercept the strike and leave only the plate spinning in the air before him, and as the fourth went for Kimi, the Knight raised her armoured arms before her and took the brunt of the attack upon her gauntlets. The gauntlets had taken quite the hit, indicating how powerful Tenshi's attack truly was.

She dropped to her knees as Kimi, who had already nocked an arrow, drew her bowstring taut. "You want to play ranges? You're on!"

The arrow flew, and Tenshi moved to evade it - but would prove to be his undoing. Kimi had not yet mastered the art of archery, and her quick firing had left her no time to check her aim. The cherubic butler's movement ended up putting himself in harm's way, and by the time he realized it he could only spare his centre mass - and not his wing - injury. His reaction to the blow gave Malum an opening to charge forward, and she quickly drove her knife into the other wing on that side. He quickly reacted, swiping his wing forward and causing her to stumble back; then a blade of light appeared in his hand, and he swung it to strike.

Malum moved quickly, putting her dagger in the blade's way and causing it to grind over her head as she ducked; then she pulled her knife away from it and lashed a cut across his ribs. Tenshi made to swing again, but again did Malum parry it with her own blade, lashing another swing at him; then she leapt out of his range, and as he moved to lunge at her he got another arrow to his arm for the trouble. He seethed, turning in the direction it had come from.

Kyra took the opportunity to slam her newly-reclaimed shield into his face.

Tenshi recoiled, stumbling backwards as the Knight moved her sword at him; it met his own blade, and Kyra quickly grabbed it with her other hand to apply more pressure. Malum made it easier for her by slashing his arm, putting him on the receiving end of a sharp slash, and Kyra quickly followed it up with another swing before leaping clear. Tenshi saw that they were leaving an opening for their Ranger, and turned towards Kimiko, eager to strike at her.

What he hadn't seen was that their Scholar had put his book away; for Haisen didn't need a tome to cast Black Magic, and indeed casting barehanded made it easier for him to focus and strike with ease.

"_Blind!_"

Darkness swathed Tenshi's vision, causing him to charge forward with his blade of light raised - but he collided sharply with the business desk, for his vision was black by the time he reached it, and the Scholar and the Ranger had tactfully moved out of the way. A blade rose from his other hand, and he arced into a wild spin - but still his targets were gone, leaving his blades nothing to strike.

"You resort to such tactics," Tenshi roared, "and you wonder why the Ancients hunted your parents? Why they hunt you!?" He continued to slash and hash with different directions in his spinning, but was entirely fruitless. His frustration and rage raised in his voice. "Did not you, yourselves, _hate_ the darkness ere you learned of your own!?"

"We don't hate it!" the Ranger snapped; and he hurled a bolt of light towards her voice, only to hear it collide with metal as she continued, "It's just kinda...scary."

"But the world's made of light _and_ darkness," the Scholar reprimanded; again did the angelic butler hurl his projectile from what he heard, and again was it blocked on a steel guard. "You can't have one without the other, 'cause darkness is half of everything.

He saw he stood no chance without his eyesight, and so he reached for his eyes, as the Knight asked, "Kind of makes you wonder why we _are_ scared of the dark."

A flash of light rid his blindness, and as he raised his gaze he found three figures standing before him - and he heard a voice from above.

"It's because of the way people treat it!"

Malum had leapt upon the chandelier while the butler is blinded; now, as he rose his gaze towards her, she leapt from the light fixture blade-first, and Tenshi had no chance to evade before she slammed her dagger into his chest. A screech of pain emerged from the butler, and as he roared Haisen raised his Book of Light at the swinging chandelier.

"_Yami no sandā!_"

Voltage ripped across the metal fixture, and the support - already strained from trying to hold Malum's weight - was weakened too much to keep it up; Malum pried her dagger out and leapt away from the angel's scream, and the candlelit brass fell, crushing the butler beneath it.

Kyra sheathed her sword, turning away and leading the other Warriors out of the manor.

"You're not exactly gonna be walking Raqia yourself."

* * *

Arca: You know what the worst thing about writing is?

Draco: What's the worst thing about writing?

Arca: Having so many ideas and not having the time to write them down in explosive detail. Well, that, and the fact that you go through playlists for hours to find appropriate writing music.

Draco: {opens Documents folder to show several dozen Notepad files labelled "[x] Notes"} Don't I know it.

Arca: *going through Documents folder with odd documents named "e" "rhthj" "ahjs" and often having random sentences from long ago* ...huh.

Draco: {closes own Documents folder, then leans over and closes hers} Oh, put the ill thoughts away for now, Arukuu. It's Yuletide!

Arca: Yuletide?! Ah, so it is! And look, we have this chapter as a gift and all.

Draco: Just so. {turns on music} _Oh, the weather outside is frightful~_

Arca: *gets out all the necessary ingredients for some hot chocolate* And with that, we'll leave you readers all to it! Happy holidays, folks!


End file.
